True Love Occurs Naturally (Naruto Shippuden Love Story)
by Panna37
Summary: A Naruto Shippuden love story... But with whom? Savanna Raiyn from the Village Hidden in the Rainbows finds a new home in the Leaf Village... and potentially a new lover, as well.
1. Chapter 1- Encounters

**True Love Occurs Naturally- A Naruto Shippuden love story (With whom? Well, you'll have to read to find out...)**

**Chapter 1- Encounters**

* * *

My first day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves changed my life forever. The gate loomed over me as I walked into the village. Two Jounin greeted me at the entrance.

"Welcome, Savanna," said one. "We hope you will find this village pleasurable to live in. The loss of your parents was very tragic…" he trailed off.

I smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll like it here. Maybe I'll even stay permanently!"

The other Jounin chuckled. He had on green spandex, and his shiny, black hair was styled into a bowl haircut. "I like your enthusiasm. What is your name again?"

"Savanna. Savanna Raiyn."

"Oh," he said. "The Raiyn clan. You are the only one left, correct? Do not worry. There is another person your age here that is the last of his clan, too."

Another person like me? I had no idea who this guy was, but I hoped I could meet this mysterious person soon.

The first Leaf Jounin I talked to walked back to the lookout station, but the green spandex one stayed back and chatted. He was… well, certainly interesting. I shifted my purple bag a little, but then set it at my feet.

"Oh! You must be starving!" he said after a while. "There is this great place called Ichiraku Ramen a little ways down this road. It was nice meeting you, Savanna!" And so help me, he winked, grinned, and gave me a thumbs up. Nonetheless, I smiled and waved as I walked down the gravel road.

Wow… This town was so full of life. People of all ages bustled past me, and there was a constant stream of noise. Today was sunny, which was nice. When I spotted a shack known as Ichiraku Ramen, I lifted the flaps and sat down on a stool. I could hear the owner conversing to someone next to me, but I didn't take any notice.

"Hey… I've never seen you here before."

I glanced up and took in the sight of the one who addressed me behind the counter; he looked like he was in his fifties. "Well… No," I said. "I came here from the Village Hidden in the Rainbows."

A confused expression fell upon his face. "Oh? I've never heard of that village before."

Of course he didn't… It was a secret town hidden by genjutsu. "It's a secret place," I partially explained.

He nodded. "So, what would you like to order?"

I ordered my food and observed the shop. It was small, but it had a cozy feel to it. I froze when I looked to my left; a boy smirked at me as if I was his best friend.

"Hey," he said. He wore an orange and black outfit and he had spiky blonde hair. He also had the most brilliant blue eyes I had ever seen. But what surprised me the most was the markings on his cheeks.

Were they… whiskers? No… They were just three lines on each cheek that resembled whiskers…

Whatever. I'd met a lot of strange people in my life. I politely smiled. "Hey," I said.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. Wow, he was extremely friendly…

"Savanna. Savanna Raiyn."

"Nice to meet you, Savanna! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he grinned.

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto."

"I can see that you're a shinobi because of your headband," Naruto remarked. "But I've never seen that symbol before."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm from the Village Hidden in-"

"The Rainbows. Oh, yeah! I heard you before. It's secret… That's so cool."

I couldn't help but smile a little. This Naruto kid amused me. All my headband had was a rainbow- two upside down u's.

"What rank are you?" asked Naruto.

"I'm a Jounin."

Naruto's face fell. "Of course. Everyone is at least a Chunin but me. I need to train harder…" he trailed off when our food arrived. He put on a smile again.

"Ichiraku Ramen is the best! You'll love it, too."

I looked down at my bowl and sighed. All of my friends, family, gone…

"What's wrong, Savanna?"

I glanced to my left and Naruto's bright, blue eyes were wide with concern.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little homesick, that's all."

"Try your food. It will bring anyone's mood up," said Naruto. He seemed to really like this place, so I tried some of the ramen.

"Wow. This is really good," I said.

Naruto chuckled. "I told you!"

When I finished, I fished in my bag for my wallet, but Naruto stopped me. "It's my treat," he said. "It's your first time in the village and all, so it's the least I can do."

He was probably the friendliest person I had encountered in a long time. "Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded.

"Thank you so much, Naruto. I've never met anyone like you before."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and smirked. "So, how old are you, anyway?"

"Actually, I just turned sixteen yesterday."

"Oh. We're the same age, then!" I couldn't not respond to Naruto's enthusiasm, so I giggled.

"I think Team Guy is nearby. I can introduce you to them," said Naruto.

I nodded. One person I met could have become by comrade, and I was lucky to have come across a person who seemed to know so many people.

Before I left Ichiraku Ramen, I left the owner a tip on the counter. "Thanks for the food," I said. "It was delicious!" He smiled and Naruto grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the shop.

Jeez. He barely knew me, and now he was pulling me places. My long brown hair trailed behind me as I caught up to Naruto. "Why are you in such a hurry?" I questioned.

"I want to see what you can do," said Naruto. "When you get there and everyone finds out that you're a Jounin, Bushy Brow will want to fight you!"

I looked up, confused. What…? Bushy Brow? Fight? "Uhh… This will be just training, right?"

"Of course," said Naruto. "Bushy Brow is so polite to everyone. It's kind of annoying sometimes."

Although I was still confused, I didn't ask any more questions. He led me to the right until we got to the woods bordering the village. I thought we were going to stop there, but we kept on walking until we got to a clearing.

There were two boys and a girl, both my age, training excessively. I couldn't make out what they looked like, though.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. Everyone but one person stopped training; that boy was taking out a tree stump. But the other two came over to Naruto and me.

"Hey, Naruto," said the girl. She had on what looked like a white robe, with scrolls on her back. She also had her brown hair put into two buns, and she had brown eyes, unlike my emerald ones. "Who's the girl?"

Naruto grinned. "She's Savanna Raiyn, and she came from the Village Hidden in the Rainbows to live here!"

"Oh," she said. She turned to me and smiled. "I'm sorry… I should introduce myself. I'm Tenten and this is Neji Hyuga." She gestured to the guy next to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Tenten," I said.

She nodded. "Guy-Sensei is going to kill me if I stop my training right now. See you later!" She zipped off into the trees.

"I've never seen her train so hard before," said Naruto. "What's gotten into her?"

"I believe she and Lee are trying to catch up to me and become Jounin," said the boy named Neji. I turned so I faced him, and for some reason he was looking at me, not Naruto. He had long brown hair tied when it reached his lower back, and he had milky, light purple eyes. I felt like he could see right through me! He also had on a white robe.

"Savanna's a Jounin," Naruto trailed off.

Neji's eyes showed a little surprise, but then the corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile. He beckoned me and started walking towards the other boy. "Come, Savanna. You should meet Lee."

I looked quizzically at Naruto, but something in his expression told me he knew what was going to happen. He grinned. "Remember the reason I brought you here."

I walked through the grass to get to Neji and this mysterious Lee. When Naruto and I caught up to Neji, the other boy stopped in the middle of kicking a tree stump. He had on green spandex, a Chunin vest, and orange leg warmers. But his black hair was… well… shiny, for a good thing. The bad part was that it was in a bowl haircut. He bore an uncanny resemblance to that shinobi who greeted me at the entrance of the village…

"Neji, who is this girl?" he asked.

"This is Savanna Raiyn of the Village Hidden in the Rainbows," said Neji. "She'll be living here from now on."

Naruto coughed. "She's a Jounin!"

I sighed and glanced at Naruto, but his eyes were still closed and that grin was still plastered on his face.

"You will make a worthy opponent!" said Lee. "My name is Rock Lee and I issue you a challenge!"

Naruto stood off to the side, but I heard Neji's voice in my ear. "Accept the challenge. Just like Naruto, I want to see what you can do."

I turned around and looked up at him. "How do you know that Naruto wants to watch me fight?"

Neji smirked. "Oh, come on. It's written all over his face. Can't you tell?"

I turned back around and assessed Naruto. He watched me intently and smiled. "I have no idea what Neji told you, but you should accept the challenge," he said.

I shook my head and chuckled. "Okay, Rock Lee. Let's do this."

Lee took up a formal defensive stance and held the back of his right hand out to me. Both of his hands and his forearms were bandaged; he obviously was a master at Taijutsu. I tensed my body, waiting for him to make the first move.

Lee suddenly zipped towards me. Hmm… He was fast, but not as fast as I was, He struck his leg out to kick me, but I blocked it with my forearms. His face reflected surprise at my speed, and he sprang into the air before I could do anything else.

I made three hand signs. "Wind Style; Air Sword Jutsu!" The air around me compressed into a long, smooth, transparent blade. So far, nobody had broken it. As it was forming, I grabbed four shuriken from my purple bag around my shoulder.

When Rock Lee came down, I jumped out of the way and his leg connected with the ground, cracking the earth. I threw my four shuriken, but he dodged them with ease, running towards me.

So… he liked close combat. He struck out with his arms and legs, making five moves a second. However, I blocked every one of them with my air sword. As Lee dropped his leg from his last kick, I swung my sword, making a gash on his left leg. He flinched, but I knew the fight wasn't over.

"Leaf Hurricane!" he shouted. Lee spun around and around and jumped with incredible speed. When he dropped from the sky, I held out my sword and his legs connected with it.

And suddenly… the sword shattered.

Now wasn't the time to react to my sword breaking. I jumped to the center of the field with Lee not far behind me. Quickly, I spun around to face him and casted a genjutsu, weaving hand signs.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and Lee froze, his eyes going wide with terror. In my genjutsu, all the air around him was being sucked into an unknown vortex. Even though he could really breathe, Lee clawed at his throat. I didn't want to make him suffer, so I tried to end it quickly.

"Earth Style: Grass Encasement Jutsu." Suddenly, the grass around Lee grew long and encased his whole body except for his head. When I focused all of my chakra into my hands and spread them over the grass, it hardened into what felt like rock.

I knelt down and touched Lee's forehead. "Release," I said. His eyes focused on me and he struggled in my trap, but to no avail. Neji walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"The fight is over," he stated. I nodded and formed a hand sign, letting the grass fall off of Lee and grow back to its original length. Naruto came over and bent down so that our faces were at the same level, only a few inches apart.

I stared into his blue eyes, and he stared into my emerald ones. "Wow, Savanna!" he exclaimed. "You're amazing!" I smiled a real smile, one that I hadn't shown in a year.

"Thank you," I said. Naruto smiled back and he opened his mouth to say something, but I heard Lee grunt beside me. I remembered the cut I gave him with the sword and rushed over.

My hands started glowing green, and I reached over his leg, healing it gradually. Lee sat up, and I saw what looked like admiration on his face.

"You're a medical ninja as well?" asked Neji. I glanced up and nodded. Everyone's' faces were filled with awe.

"Savanna," said Rock Lee.

"Yes?" I asked. I looked at him, wanting to hear what he wished to say.

"You are a wonderful and courageous fighter," said Lee. "Please be my girlfriend. I vow to protect you with my life. Not that you need any protecting. I will still protect you until I die!"

My eyes widened in surprise, and Neji shook his head. "First, it was with Sakura, and now it's Savanna…" he trailed off. When I glanced at Naruto, I couldn't read his expression; he was staring at the ground.

My healing was finished, and I helped Lee stand up. "I really appreciate it, but I just barely met you. You're really nice and everything, but I think I'll pass." I smiled, indicating that we could still be friends.

Lee had a determined look on his face now. "Alright. Once you get to know me, I will earn your respect and protect you at any cost so you will eventually be my girlfriend!"

"Uhh… I don't think…"

Lee was too busy caught up in his dream. "Yes! That is what I will do. I will catch up to Guy-Sensei and ask for his advice! Goodbye, Savanna." Before I could react, he scooped up my hand, kissed it, and zipped off into the trees.

"Lee can be annoying sometimes," said Naruto.

Neji still shook his head. "Ridiculous," he muttered. Then, he looked up at me so quickly I jumped where I was standing. "Have you met Guy-Sensei?" he inquired.

"It depends," I replied. There was a resemblance between Rock Lee and that weird Jounin I met at the front gate, though…

"Does he look like Lee?" I asked. Neji nodded. "Then I have," I clarified. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps in the grass coming towards me.

"Hey, Naruto. I heard the new girl would be with you. You attract new people like a magnet."

I turned around and saw another guy my age standing next to Naruto. He had dark, black hair pulled into a spiky ponytail, a Chunin vest on with a green uniform, and brown eyes.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I just ran into her at Ichiraku Ramen. Who doesn't love that place?"

The guy sighed and faced me. "Anyway, the Hokage sent me to find you. I thought it would be a drag, but I kind of wanted to meet you myself. You're Savanna Raiyn of the Rainbow Village, correct?" I nodded.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Shikamaru Nara."

"Hi, Shikamaru," I smiled. "Why did the Hokage want to see me?"

"Oh," said Shikamaru. "Actually, she's too busy right now to actually speak with you herself. She wanted me to show you where your new home is."

I laughed. "I nearly forgot about that!"

Neji bid his farewells, and Naruto looked like he was sulking. "I wish I could come, but I need to catch up on my training with Kakashi-Sensei," he said. "I just hope he isn't too late this time…"

"Okay," I said. "Bye, Naruto!"

Naruto waved and started walking off into the trees. "See you later!" he called.

Shikamaru chuckled. "You're popular already," he remarked. "Come on… Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2- Settling In

**Hi, everyone. :3 Here's the second chapter to my story. I kind of tweaked the original storyline a little (okay… maybe a lot). But the modification only has to do with Sasuke. Instead of trying over and over and failing every time, Naruto actually succeeded in bringing Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf. I think it's much better this way. *Sigh*… I wish this actually happened…**

**Don't hesitate to write a review! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Shikamaru led me to my new house and stopped. It was actually pretty nice. The walls were lavender, matching my shirt and my bag, which was kind of weird, but cool. There was also a nice, yellow welcome mat in front of the door with a patio a floor up.

"Hmm," said Shikamaru. "You weren't as troublesome as I thought you'd be." Regardless, he smiled.

I laughed. "Well, people don't regularly peg me as the troublesome type. It was really nice walking with you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru had his hands stuffed in his pockets, and he was looking down at the ground. "Yeah," he said. "I hope we can do it again sometime."

"Sure," I said. "I probably have to go get new furniture now…Did the Hokage give me a bed?"

Shikamaru looked back up, a lazy expression on his face. "You can call her Lady Tsunade. And yeah, she gives everyone a bed whenever they come here." He handed me the key.

"Cool! I'll just check out my home, then," I said. "Thanks for everything, Shikamaru."

"No problem," he called as he strolled down the gravel path. "See you later, Savanna." I waved as he disappeared down the road.

I faced the white door, put in the key, and slowly opened it. Inside, there was a window to the right, letting sunlight spill into the room. The walls were colored light blue, and the pale pink carpet felt lush under my feet. A set of stairs leading up to the second floor to my left stood about 15 feet in front of me, and there was a small kitchen to my left. Upstairs, there was a bathroom above the kitchen and a queen sized bed resting in the right side of the room, perfectly made with clean, white sheets. A door leading outside to the patio stood to my right. I sighed, grabbed my wallet, and set my other possessions on the bed.

A few hours later, people were already delivering furniture to my new home and I strolled down the main road, entering a flower shop.

I just needed a few flowers to lighten up my place, so I chose two roses and walked up to the cashier. Another girl my age manned the cash register; she had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and loose strands covered the right half of her face. When she looked at me, I noticed that she had blue eyes.

"Hey, there." She smiled. "So, I heard that you're the new girl that fought with Lee!"

Wow… I guess new traveled quickly around here. "Yeah," I said. "I didn't really have a choice, though…"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, Lee's like that. Anyway, I'm Ino Yamanaka. You're Savanna Raiyn from the Hidden Rainbow Village, right?"

"Yes," I smiled. She checked out my flowers and handed them back to me.

"Man, Sakura's so jealous. Everyone's been dying to meet you. The ones that already have are bragging about it now. She's jealous because even you peaked Sasuke's interest."

Who was Sasuke? And why me? I wasn't interesting. I was so confused right now…

"And if you ask me," continued Ino, "Naruto has a huge crush on you."

My eyes widened in surprise. "What…? Me? Why would he like me? I just barely met him."

"He didn't really say," said Ino. "But to me, it's really obvious that he has a crush." She winked. I was about to ask more questions, but a female voice called through the screen behind Ino.

"Well, that's my mom," said Ino. "Catch you later, Savanna." And with that, she rushed through the screen and I dismissed any thoughts about this so-called "crush".

Exhaustion took its toll on my body when I reached my house at 8:00 pm. Previous that day, I met two girls named Hinata Hyuga (she was Neji's cousin) and Sakura Haruno. Hinata was considerably nicer than Sakura, but they were both pretty cool. I also met two other guys named Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame.

Slowly, I made some hot cocoa, changed into a robe, and made my way up to patio. A light breeze played with my hair as I sat at a table, and the moonlight was gorgeous. Sipping my hot cocoa, I smiled and felt content for the first time in forever.

Even though I could detect signs of fatigue, when I tried to sleep it was nearly impossible. Tossing and turning, I finally gave up and changed back into the outfit I wore today.

I stepped out of my house and strolled down a path until I got to the forest bordering the village. Quickly, I darted through it and stopped when I reached a waterfall and a pond.

A boy was already there.

Oh, great. By that point, I'd had enough of meeting new people. I started backing up really slowly, but I heard a whoosh and suddenly felt a presence a few inches behind me. I immediately froze in place.

" I've heard about you," said a male voice.

I turned around until I could face him. The boy was my age (big surprise), and he had raven colored hair with obsidian-colored eyes. He wore a blue shirt with white shorts… As I took a long look at him, I inferred that this was the person every girl was crushing over; he was pretty good-looking.

"Who are you?" I asked. I kept an emotionless mask on my face.

He looked surprised at my reaction, but I saw him relax for some reason. "Sasuke," he said. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Yep. This was definitely the guy everyone was crushing over. It was probably best for me to stay clear of him… The girls would hate me if they were to see me around him.

I sighed. "Everyone seems to know me already. I'm guessing you know my name, Sasuke?"

He hesitated, but then nodded slightly. "I heard it was Savanna."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I just happened to stumble upon this place, so I think I'll be going now."

I made one step and Sasuke took a hold of my wrist. Despite the breeze, his hand felt warm.

"Tch. Wait, will you? I just barely met you. Can't we talk for a little bit?"

I had a feeling that he didn't ask this very often. I assessed him and finally said, "Sure."

We both sat down on a rock at the edge of the pond and chatted. Well, I tried to chat. At first, Sasuke was anti-social, and he kept to himself a lot. But whenever I didn't prod him for more answers, he seemed to open up little by little. Later, I found myself smiling and laughing and him smirking at times. He generally kept up a blank expression, though.

"So," said Sasuke. "I heard that you're the last of your clan."

I looked down. "Yeah… My entire clan was murdered."

"I'm the last of my clan as well," said Sasuke. "Don't think about revenge."

I regarded him again, the wind producing a serene sound around us. "Actually, I thought about it once, but I dismissed the thought."

Sasuke looked startled. "That's strange… I did actually abandon this village once to kill the one person that murdered my clan… but Naruto saved me." He spoke as if he was completely free of revenge, but I could pick up some malice in his low timbre.

"Naruto…" I trailed off. "He was really nice to me today."

Sasuke quietly chuckled. "He's such a loser." I couldn't help but smile a little. I then started to stand, but my foot slipped on some moss on the rock, and I fell into the surprisingly warm water.

When I came up for air, Sasuke was laughing uncontrollably. "Shh!" I said. He took one look at wet contour and started laughing even harder. A plan formed in my mind, and I swam up to Sasuke, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and pulled him into the water with me.

We were underwater now. The moonlight filtered in through the water and gave a mystical feel to it. Ninja could hold their breath for an incredible amount of time.

I still didn't let go of Sasuke's shirt, so he pushed me to the bottom of the pool. When I opened my eyes, he had on a serious expression now. I just gazed… and gazed and gazed. Sasuke's dark hair floated around in the moonlight filtering through the clear water, and he reached out, running his fingers through my long, dark strands.

Um.

No.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

I was supposed to stay away from him! According to the other girls, Sasuke was a loner, and he hated everyone. Sure, I guess he was good looking, but everyone thought that. I let go of his shirt and pushed off from the bottom of the pond, resurfacing.

I stepped out of the water and began to wring my hair out. I saw him get out and rest on the same rock that we talked on. "Look, Sasuke. I really need to head home now."

He hesitated for a moment, but then I heard him sigh. "…Whatever." His expression reverted back to the one he had on when we first met- blank and emotionless. I wasn't too disappointed; I was expecting this. Giving him a small smile, I turned around and made my way back to my new home.


	3. Chapter 3- A New Mission

**Chapter 3**

The next day, I did the laundry and ate breakfast in a daze. When I finished, I stepped outside to find Shikamaru leaning on my house.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" I smiled.

"Hey. Lady Tsunade wants to see you. Apparently, she wants to test your skills, so she's giving you a mission."

"Already…? Well, okay. So, who am I going with?" I asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know. We'll find out when we get to the main building, though."

When we reached Lady Tsunade's room, Shikamaru leaned towards me and spoke in a soft voice. "Lady Tsunade is very… touchy. Don't get on her bad side; not that you're too troublesome or anything."

"Don't worry… I'll be fine," I reassured him.

He opened the door and I stepped in, focusing on Lady Tsunade sitting at a large desk in front of me. She had blonde hair that framed her face very well, along with hazel eyes.

"Welcome, Savanna," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Tsunade," I answered.

"I assigned you to a team with a mission," she stated. She gestured to the two people on either side of me.

I became aware of the person on my left, and I smile spread across my face. "Naruto!" I exclaimed.

His blue eyes sparkled and he grinned. "Hey! It's pretty cool that we're going on a mission together, huh?" I nodded.

I felt something soft on my right hand, and when I shifted to look, a huge, white dog rested against it. It wagged its tail and barked happily when I ran my hand across its fur.

"Well, well. Who's the hottie?"

I glanced up to see a person my age looking at me with a smirk on his face. He had spiky, brown hair and two red tribal tattoos shaped like upside-down triangles on his cheeks. One of his incisors poked out of a corner of his mouth, and he had narrow pupils for eyes… They almost looked like slits.

He was cute, but I didn't know how to answer to that question… All I could do was blush. Naruto had a furious expression on his face, and Shikamaru looked kind of surprised. Lady Tsunade coughed, and I thought I could see a vein popping out of her forehead. "Kiba," she growled. "That 'hottie' you see is an elite Jounin that will be on your team for this mission."

It was like her mood didn't even affect the guy! He took a step towards me. "That makes it all the better," he said. "What's your name?"

I got over my blushing and fought to maintain my composure. "I'm Savanna Raiyn from the Rainbow Village," I said. "I'll be living here from now on."

The boy smiled. "Hey, Savanna. My name is Kiba Inuzuka, and this is my dog, Akamaru."

"Yeah, yeah, Kiba," said Naruto. I didn't particularly like the tone of his voice. Kiba opened his mouth to say something, but Lady Tsunade started talking.

"This is probably an A or S-Rank mission you three have-"

"Whoa… wait!" interrupted Naruto. "You don't even know how strong Savanna is, and you're giving her a mission that difficult?!"

"Naruto, please be patient," said Lady Tsunade. "Reports informed me that she is in fact very strong. I wouldn't just assign her a mission of this rank out of the blue."

"She's strong?" inquired Naruto. When he warily looked back at me, I smiled sheepishly.

"Yes," Tsunade confirmed. "Like I was saying, this mission is probably ranked an A or an S. Your objective is to get to the Sand Village and protect it from intruders. We received surveillance reports saying that two men wearing black cloaks with red cloaks were heading that direction."

Hmm. This could be hard, but I was going to put all of my time and effort into it. "Yes, ma'am," we said. When we were about to leave, Lady Tsunade stopped me.

She smiled a little. "Are you really going to wear that headband on your mission?"

I looked down at my headband around my neck. "Oh… Of course not. I'm assuming you have a Leaf Shinobi headband for me, Lady Tsunade?"

She nodded and handed me a shiny, new one with the Leaf Village's symbol engraved in the middle. "Be proud to be a Leaf Ninja now, but still keep your Rainbow headband. It will be incredibly important to you in the future."

I bowed slightly. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I won't let you down." With that, I exchanged my headband around my neck for the new one and walked out of the room as an official Leaf Ninja.

* * *

As we were walking down the stairs, Kiba smiled at me. "So… We should get to know each other since we'll be on a team, right?"

Lay your hands off of her, Kiba!" growled Naruto. I looked at him in surprise.

"It's okay," I told him. "I don't know him at all, so I have no idea what he's like in and out of battle."

Naruto relaxed, and I listened to their strategies. As I did, I also developed an idea of what their personalities were like. When we were almost to the main gate, Sasuke appeared from behind a building.

He stepped in front of me, forcing me to stop. "Sasuke?" I asked.

He looked down at me. "About what happened last night… I think we should do it again, sometime."

Naruto looked immensely startled, and Kiba laughed. "Wait… Sasuke spent time with a girl alone? And he invited her to do it again? Are you kidding me? This is hilarious!"

Ignoring Kiba, I smiled a little. "I wish I could, but I'm actually leaving for a mission right now with my team." I gestured to Naruto and Kiba beside me.

Sasuke sighed, glaring at Naruto. "Loser," he spat. Naruto stepped forward.

"You guys should be nicer to each other," I suggested. I turned to Sasuke. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I need to leave for my mission. I'll talk to you when I get back, okay?"

"Fine," said Sasuke. Not long after, a shrill girl voice called out his name.

"Sasuke! Hi!"

Sasuke grew white in the face. "Crap. It's Sakura. Ugh…" He zipped off into the trees.

A few seconds later, Sakura reached us. Her pink, short hair seemed messy today. "How come Sasuke was talking to you, Savanna?"

I shrugged. "I don't know… I was just leaving with Naruto and Kiba."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Hmph. Alright, then. Remember: Sasuke is mine!" She walked off without another glance.

"Isn't she a pain…" said Kiba. I stayed silent as we set off for the Sand Village.


	4. Chapter 4- The Journey to the Sand

**Chapter 4**

It was a three-day journey to get to the Sand Village, so Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru brought camping supplies on their backs. I felt kind of bad for making them carry all of it, so I took Akamaru's share. We zipped from tree to tree, talking about casual things and keeping a lookout for any signs of danger. When the sun disappeared from the horizon, we stopped near a river and set up camp. Kiba and Naruto set up the tent while I set up the campfire.

There were hundreds of insect sounds around us; to me, it felt serene and peaceful. The fire got going pretty quickly, so I cooked some fish I found in a bag for the team.

I heard someone sit down next to me. I looked to the left and met Kiba's eyes. "Wow, Savanna," he said. "Thanks for the food."

"No problem," I replied. Naruto sat down on my right side and took a fish.

"So, Naruto," said Kiba. "Did you really see Savanna fight Lee?"

Naruto nodded and glanced at me. "Yeah! Man, she's good. She didn't even get a scratch on her!"

I laughed softly. "It tired me out, though."

Naruto's eyes widened a little. "Hey… I remember you used wind style to create that sword… So, that means you're a wind user like me!"

I smiled. "Oh. You're a wind user. Well… Um… Actually, I can use all five chakra natures."

Kiba and Naruto gasped. "But that's never happened before!" Naruto exclaimed.

I nodded. "Yes, until I was born. My parents always told me not to tell anyone because other people would want to use me for bad purposes. They told me I was special and I had to keep it secret." I looked down while I felt their stares on me.

"Aww, c'mon," said Kiba. When I looked up, he was leaning towards me with a smirk on his face. "This is no time to feel sad. We're on a mission, and we've got an awesome teammate!"

Naruto glared at Kiba. "What do you mean 'an' awesome teammate? I'm awesome, too!" I laughed.

We ate our dinner and retired into the tent for the night. Akamaru slept outside; he was going to stay on guard, and he was too big to fit inside of the tent.

We set three sleeping bags parallel to one another. Naruto flopped himself down on one side and Kiba lay down on the other, so that put me in the middle. We all took off our headbands and left them with Akamaru.

As I snuggled into my sleeping bag, Kiba turned around and faced me. "So, do you like the Leaf Village so far?"

"Yeah," I said. "Almost everyone is so kind to me."

"'Almost' everyone?" asked Kiba.

I smiled a little and sighed. "Sakura," I stated.

"Oh. Of course," said Kiba. "It's only because of all the attention you're getting." He smirked. "Especially from Sasuke. Actually, from everyone. And why wouldn't you, of all people, get attention? I mean, you're so-"

"Hey, Savanna!" interrupted Naruto. Kiba frowned and I sat up.

"Could you help me with this?" asked Naruto. I crawled over onto his sleeping bag and sat in front of him.

I peered at his blue eyes in the dimness. "What is it?"

Naruto laughed uneasily. "I…Uh…Can't get my zipper undone."

Kiba jolted up and I blushed. "Naruto! Why are you asking a girl to unzip your pants? You're a pervert, you know that?"

Naruto blushed even harder than I was. "What? No! My shirt! It's my shirt… Not my pants. No way, Kiba."

Kiba sat down and put his hand to his forehead while I laughed softly. "It's alright," I said. "Come here."

Naruto crossed his legs while I leaned forward and held his zipper on his neck with my hands. I pulled, but he wasn't kidding; it really was stuck. I looked up and found Naruto smiling slightly.

"Told you," he said. He lifted his hands to try and do it, but when he touched mine I shook my head.

"I've almost got it," I said.

When I tugged a few more times, the zipper finally gave way and I pulled it slowly down to Naruto's waist. A few seconds later, I realized that I was staring at his chest and I lifted my eyes to meet his blue ones.

Naruto smiled and my cheeks felt warm. "Thanks, Savanna. I really appreciate it."

"Hmph," grunted Kiba as I retreated back to my own sleeping bag. When all was silent, I turned on my side and let my eyelids droop until fatigue pulled me under.

* * *

Sunlight shone through the tent flaps as I gradually opened my eyes. I focused on Naruto, only a few inches away from my face, sleeping peacefully. His sleeping bag was pressed right up against mine for some reason, and his arm was loosely slung over my waist. I turned to the other side of the tent and almost knocked my head against Kiba's. Geez… He, too, was pressed right up against my sleeping bag, but his arms weren't touching me. Feeling claustrophobic, I wriggled out of my sleeping back and quietly reached for my purple bikini. I then tiptoed out of the tent and made my way down to the river.

The sound of gurgling became clearer, and soon, the clear, blue river appeared. I changed into my swimsuit and set my clothes on the branch of a nearby tree. Naruto and Kiba were acting really weird… And lately they'd been asking random questions. I just needed a break from it all; I needed to bathe myself and relax, so I cautiously stepped into the cool water.

It felt amazing… Soon after, my muscled loosened up. I let my hair flow with the water and I closed my eyes. About half an hour later, I heard footsteps in the grass heading towards me. Carefully, I opened my eyes and took in the sight of Naruto leaning against the rock wall bordering the river.

He wore orange swim trunks and a smirk on his face. When a breeze blew by, his blonde hair rustled. His bright, blue eyes shone in the sunlight.

But, his chest…

I didn't know why it made me breathless. It was exactly how I remembered it from last night… muscular and smooth. I couldn't believe it when my cheeks felt warm again. I actually realized for the first time that I thought Naruto was… cute.

"Hey, Savanna," greeted Naruto. "Mind if I join you?"

I lifted my head. "Of course not. How did you know where to find me?"

"Kiba and Akamaru can track anyone's scent," explained Naruto.

"Oh," I said. I stood up and smiled. "I'm sorry, I should have woken you guys up before, but…"

I stopped in my sentence and blinked. The moment I stood up in the water, Naruto lowered his eyes from my eyes to my body. It was probably because of my big bra size… But I only chose this bikini because it was easy to bathe in.

I looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

Naruto seemed to break out of his trance and walked on the water until he was directly in front of me. "Savanna…" he trailed off. "I…" He suddenly got a mischievous glint in his eyes and dropped under the water.

I looked at my feet, but it was too late. Two, warm hands grabbed my ankles and pulled me under.

Naruto's whiskers came into focus, and a grin spread across my face. He seemed to mirror my expression as I swam to the bank of the river. Well… I tried to. Quickly, he hands snaked this time around my wrists to try and pull me underwater, so I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I felt his intake of breath. We both froze, but he still held onto my wrists. "Wow, Savanna," he said. I looked up and met his bright, blue eyes.

Naruto chuckled. "You got me."

It looked like he was about to say something else, but I heard a huge splash. I let go of Naruto quickly and saw Akamaru paddling towards us. Kiba stood at the edge of the river, wearing red swim trunks.

"You guys can't have fun without me!" he exclaimed.

"Well… come on in, then," I smiled.

We stayed in there for a little while until I wore myself out. We certainly didn't want that for the mission, so I excused myself from swimming. I picked up my clothes and walked back to the campground. Quickly, I packed the tent and our belongings (except for our clothes, of course) up. I just took off my bikini when Kiba appeared. I blushed and grabbed my towel before he could look at me.

"Hey-whoa." Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Uh… Sorry about that…" His eyes flicked to my swimsuit on the ground and back to me.

I waved him off, but I almost lost a hold of my towel, causing me to blush even harder. "It's okay," I said.

"Naruto…" Kiba sighed, and then smiled slightly. "I can't believe him. Apparently, he wandered too close to a discarded paper bomb and it exploded. I thought I might get you because I heard that you're a healer. It's just a little injury, thankfully, but that's just what he said. I don't know how bad it actually is."

"Does he need me now?" I asked.

Kiba hesitated, but then no nodded slowly. "I can't believe I caught you when you were changing. It's pretty hot." He smirked.

"Kiba…" I trailed off.

"And your cheeks are pink," continued Kiba. "That makes you even prettier."

He thought I was… pretty? With my green eyes and wavy, brown hair, I possessed the colors of a tree.

I smiled. "You're flattering me, but I need to change."

Kiba stayed still. "Alright, then. Go ahead." He winked.

I laughed and walked up to him. "Really. Catch up to Naruto. We need to leave soon, anyway." Gently, I nudged his arm.

Kiba looked at me for a fraction longer than necessary. "Okay," he said. "Don't take too long, Savanna." He zipped off towards the river.

I smiled to myself and changed into my regular clothes. After that, I caught up with Kiba. He was with Naruto, who was sitting against the rock wall on the bank of the river.

"Naruto?" I asked. "Are you alright?"

Naruto turned his head. He grinned and winked. "Are you kidding? Of course! It's just a little scratch."

I sighed with relief. "Good. You shouldn't get injured now… we need to leave soon. Let me look at that."

Kiba touched my arm. "I need to get Akamaru. See you soon." He set off down the river.

I knelt down in front of Naruto. "Where is it?" I questioned.

"On my forehead," he answered.

Cautiously, I brushed away his blonde hair with my hand. Naruto's eyes widened a little.

"Naruto!" I exclaimed. "You call that 'little'?" It was a cut about an inch wide, but it was deep and it was bleeding badly.

"It's no big deal…" trailed off Naruto. "The explosion from the paper bomb made a rock cut my forehead, that's all."

I sighed. "You need to tell me everything about these things. If we were to continue going to the Sand Village with that injury, it would have gotten in the way later."

My hand glowed green as I healed the wound on Naruto's forehead. I could feel Naruto's eyes on me as I was healing, so I lowered mine until they met with his blue ones.

"I've never seen eyes like yours," said Naruto. "They're so… vibrant." He seemed awestruck.

I smiled. "So are yours." I slowly lowered my hand.

"Whoa," said Naruto. "That was fast."

I shrugged. "I guess." I could hear Kiba running towards us, so I turned around.

"Okay," said Kiba as he caught up to us. "Let's go. We can't waste any more time." I nodded.


	5. Chapter 5- The Two New Akatsuki Members

**Chapter 5  
**

* * *

About two days later, Naruto, Kiba, and I reached the Village Hidden in the Sand. It was hot, since we were in the middle of the desert, but I admired the architecture of the town. A Jounin met up with us as we walked to the entrance of the village.

"We are the Leaf Ninja that were assigned to protect this village from the two intruders," I said.

He nodded. "You should get directions from the Kazekage on how to proceed in this situation."

Naruto chuckled. "It'll be nice to see Gaara again."

I looked at him, puzzled. "Gaara? You know the Kazekage?"

Naruto winked. "He's not that great. He's a buddy of mine!" What...?

My eyes took in the sight of the town as the Sand Jonin led us toward the Kazekage's building. The tan buildings were made out of sand, and I couldn't help but run my fingers on some of them. They were also very open, as if the people here embraced the heat. The residents wore long tunic-robe things that were mostly colors of white or light brown.

I could hear Akamaru panting beside me. "Um, Kiba?" I asked.

He glanced at me and smiled. "Yeah?"

"I feel so bad for Akamaru... He has so much fur. Did you bring any water for him?"

Kiba laughed. "Of course I did! Don't act so concerned, Savanna. I care for Akamaru too, you know." I sighed, relieved.

Soon after, we reached the biggest building in the Sand Village. It was kind of round shaped, and near the top were circular windows. I passed several rooms on the way to the top. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we reached the top and the Jonin that led us there opened the door.

"The Leaf Ninja," he announced.

"Hey," said Naruto. "Long time, no see."

Near the front of the room stood a long rectangular desk with a chair that accompanied it. Three people stood next to it.  
There were two boys and a girl. The girl had spiky blonde hair put into four ponytails in the back; she had on a black robe and she carried a giant fan on her back. She also looked like she would be a couple of years older than me.

The next boy had on what looked like a cat suit with purple lines all over his face. He carried something wrapped with him... I couldn't tell what it was. He also looked like he could be a couple of years older than me. But the next boy... Was my age.

And he was the Kazekage.

So... I guess he was this Gaara kid Naruto talked about. A long white and blue robe covered his body, and he had reddish brown hair. The kanji "love" was etched onto his forehead. Dark circles covered his light green eyes, and he was looking right at me.

"Yeah," said the girl. She paused and glanced at me. "She's a Leaf Ninja? I've never seen her before."

"Her name is Savanna Raiyn," said Kiba. "She came to the Leaf Village from a hidden village in the Rainbows."

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah," said the girl. "I'm Temari, and these are my two brothers, Kankuro and Gaara." She gestured to the two people on either side of her. Gaara still hadn't dropped his gaze from me.

"So, Gaara, what should we do?" asked Naruto.

Gaara finally averted his gaze to Naruto. "Go stand in front of the entrance," he said. Some other shinobi will be waiting there for you."

Kiba nodded. "We won't let you down!"

Shortly after we reached the entrance, Gaara walked up beside me. He had on a different outfit this time; a red and brown long sleeved shirt and pants. "So," he said. "You're name is Savanna."

I glanced over at him. Gaara was smiling slightly, and his hair rustled in the wind. "Yes," I said. "And you're Lord Kazekage."

"Just call me Gaara," he said.

I smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to protect my village," said Gaara. "I've heard that the two men heading this way are the two new members of the Akatsuki that were recently made a part of that group."

I bit my lip. If that turned out to be true, this would definitely be an S-Rank mission. I had done tons of those before, but this time we didn't know anything about the two new Akatsuki members.

"Didn't an Akatsuki member kidnap you once?" I asked. "Are you sure you should be here? I mean, that's why we came."

Gaara's voice was quieter now. "Yes," he said. "But I have gotten stronger. And I will not let my comrade fall in battle without doing anything about it."

Wow... The fierceness in his voice was inspiring. I admired him for that. "I'll back you up if there's a fight, which at this point, is inevitable," I said.

Gaara smiled slightly. "So will I," he said.

About an hour later, I could make out two figures on the blazing horizon. "Naruto. Kiba," I called. They glance back at me and nodded, then told the other Jonin that were on guard patrol.

"Gaara," I said. "Do you see them?"

He nodded. "I can make out what they're wearing now... Black robes with red clouds. They're definitely a part of the Akatsuki."

I stiffened. "I will do everything in my power to protect this village. Even if it costs me my life." Gaara stayed silent.

I kept on a determined face as the intruders approached us. One had jet black hair and gray eyes, and the other had spiky brown hair and yellow eyes.

"Well, well," said the one with the black hair. "What have we got here?"

His eyes scanned the area, and when he got to me, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. "Let me have this pretty one. I can sense the five chakra natures within her."

I frowned slightly. He could sense my chakra natures... And he wasn't scared! On the other hand, Akatsuki members weren't known for getting scared...

The one with the brown hair laughed. "Yeah, yeah, Shouni. Just don't get too carried away. The Kazekage is standing right next to her."

I glanced over at Gaara, standing still with his arms folded.

Naruto and Kiba took defensive stances, so I sighed. "Okay, guys. Let me do this alone."

Kiba jerked his head back. "Are you kidding me?! He's a part of the Akatsuki!"

"Do you think I don't know that? Look, it's better if we did this one on one. The chances of me winning are greater when I can focus directly on the enemy. Plus,

I don't want anyone to get hurt."

They looked like they were about to protest again, but soon they sagged in defeat. "Fine," said Kiba.

"Be careful, Savanna," said Naruto.

Shouni smirked. "So your name's Savanna. What a beautiful name... You have a nice figure, too..."

It didn't seem like he was complimenting me at all. In fact, it seemed like Shouni was speculating me. What was up with that? It's not like I even wanted a complement from an Akatsuki member, either…

Quickly, I sprinted out in front of Naruto and Kiba, running for one of the side walls bordering the village. As expected, Shouni followed me. "Don't run away from me, now," he called. "I need to get to know you."

Okay... This guy was creeping me out now. I turned sharply and backed up against the dirt wall.

I could hear Shouni's voice getting closer. "Alright... I guess you want to be that way. I'll make you come to me!"

I suddenly felt a tug in the center of my chest, pulling me towards him. I grabbed at the ground, but the sand just slipped through my fingers. What kind of a Jutsu was this?!

Whatever it was, it pulled me right up to Shouni. He grabbed my shirt, fastening me to my spot. His gray eyes widened a little.

"Wow... You really are gorgeous. I would like your body after I kill you. It would be a good addition to my collection. We could have been together if I met you earlier... What are you? Sixteen? Seventeen? I'm only a few years older. Too bad you were interfering with my duty."

I struggled, but his hand was like iron. My old Sensei used to tell me to look at my surroundings when I was trapped. There was hardly any moisture in the air, so forming anything out of it would take a long time. Obviously, there was no water, but a dirt wall stood to the side...

Using my chakra, I made part of the wall crumble and fly to Shouni's face, hardening there. Surprised, Shouni abruptly let go of me and stumbled back.

But what surprised me more was the lightning that zigzagged across the hardened earth across his face, making it crumble and fall to the ground.

I really had to run into a lightning user? Talk about bad luck. "You're a lightning user?" I asked.

Shouni laughed. "Yeah, as well as... Other things."

Ugh. I formed a hand sign, trapping him in my genjutsu. I willed for the air to go away in that illusion, but his facial expression didn't change. "Trying to use genjutsu on me? It won't work; I've built up a resistance even to the strongest types caused by the Mongekyou Sharingan."

I gasped, and he continued. "Yeah, it's useless." Then, Shouni held out his finger and beckoned me towards him. Simultaneously, a huge chunk of the dirt wall behind me disconnected and smacked into my back. I screamed and fell to the ground.

I could move enough to make a hand sign, so I made fast ones. A clone popped up next to me. "Fire style: Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" I said. The clone added wind style to it, making the flames rise high. While Shouni was engulfed in them, I made a big shuriken appear. Quickly, I sliced it in half, rigged one half of it, and held it together with a little bit of chakra.

The smoke cleared and Shouni still stood in the same spot with that ridiculous smirk on his face, enclosed in a water shield. It splashed to the ground and evaporated. How did he get water?

"Your petty little attacks won't hurt me," he said. "I can counterattack everything you throw at me."

Impossible! Yet, as I tried a Jutsu of every single chakra nature, I realized that he was right. If I did lightning, he would do a wind Jutsu. If I did water, (barely; it was so hot) he would do an earth Jutsu, and so on. Could he have all five chakra natures like me?

After a while, Shouni yawned. "I'm done playing. I guess I should get serious now."

He stole the words right out of my mouth. I took the big, rigged shuriken from behind my back and threw it with all my strength. I had a lot of cuts and bruises, but that was mostly because of his ability to call objects toward him. My right ankle felt broken, so I moved with caution.

As the shuriken moved towards Shouni, he smiled and simply stepped out of the way. "Do you really think that will-" I cut him off as I pulled away half of the shuriken with a chakra string and plunged it into his side.

"You bitch!" he exclaimed. "It was rigged!" Blood flowed from his side, gradually gaining speed.

He stumbled and breathed heavily. "I need your chakra. It's a good thing I learned this technique from my sister. Come here."

Shouni beckoned me towards him with his finger. I grabbed the air sword I'd been working on for a while. Since one of his hands was busy controlling the Jutsu, I reached out and grabbed the other one when I reached him, plunging the sword into his chest.

He flinched. "The more damage you inflict on me, the more chakra I'll have to take," he said.

What was Shouni going to do? I hit a vital spot... He was going to die soon, but not soon enough.

I glared defiantly into his gray eyes, and he chuckled. "My, my. You have spirit, but not for long."  
He kept his finger curled towards him on one hand, but the other snaked around into my hair. My heartbeat was frantic... Was he going to pull my hair out? I couldn't move my body anymore.

Shouni pressed his body right up against mine, digging the sword in deeper. "This pain is worth it," he said. "If it means doing this with you, it's worth it."

Doing what?! Slowly, he leaned in until I could see nothing but his gray eyes. "Your eyes are green," he said. "That's my favorite color." Shouni leaned in even closer until I could feel his breath. "You'll be dying in bliss," he murmured. Then, he touched his lips to mine.


	6. Chapter 6- The Closing of the Mission

**Chapter 6**

I was kissing an Akatsuki member.

Not on purpose, of course. He was doing it because he needed my chakra. Shouni's lips felt warm despite his cold demeanor.

I, of course, could do nothing but let him kiss me. My body started growing weaker and weaker until I thought I couldn't stand any longer. His Jutsu was the only thing keeping me up now. I was so close to killing him… I would have done it if it wasn't for this. Just when I thought I would pass out, a column of sand hit Shouni and sent him sprawling. I could do nothing but slump to the ground.

In my last minute of consciousness, I saw Naruto come down on Shouni with what looked like a ball of blue chakra in his hand. "Rasengan!" he yelled. The ball of chakra bore into Shouni stomach, making him writhe and scream. Eventually, he slowly trailed off until his was quiet, his eyes glazing over.

The sand I laid on lifted me to a sitting position, and Gaara's concerned face came in and out of focus. I was totally incapable of moment at the moment. "Savanna?" he said. "Stay with me… You're alright."

Darkness slowly started closing in, and Gaara swore. "Naruto! Kiba!" he called. His voice started getting fainter. "Don't go!" he exclaimed. I couldn't help it…

"G-Gaara," I whispered. Soon after, the sheet of darkness pulled itself over my head.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I lied in a bed in the Sand Village's hospital. I stared at the white ceiling, not noticing Gaara beside me.

"Savanna," he said. I jerked my head to the left but flinched as pain rocketed through my skull.

"Careful," he said. His light green eyes met mine. "That Akatsuki member… Shouni… He was so close to killing you. Was he… kissing you?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. It was just to get my chakra, though."

When Gaara didn't respond, I asked, "Did you defeat the other Akatsuki?"

"Barely," said Gaara. "Naruto and Kiba are badly injured. It's a miracle we even survived."

I bit my lip. "That guy… Shouni… He could use all types of chakra like me."

Gaara smiled slightly. "He keeps dead bodies and switches them out during battle. His sister used the same technique, and Naruto defeated her."

I sighed. "Of course it had to be some complicated thing like that." Painfully, I tried to sit up, but Gaara gently pushed me down again.

"You saved my life," I said. "How can I ever thank you?"

"You don't need to," said Gaara. "You helped defeat the intruders." I smiled, grateful.

After a few days in the hospital, I was feeling well enough to roam about the village. Naruto and Kiba were still healing, but they joined me from time to time. When about two weeks passed, we collected our possessions, walking (except for me, I was limping because of my broken ankle) to the front gate with Gaara.

"Thanks for everything," said Naruto. "Those Akatsuki didn't know what hit 'em!"

"Geez, Naruto," said Kiba. "You're the one who didn't know what hit you. You were so close to dying!"

"Whatever," Naruto mumbled. He shook Gaara's hand, smiling. Kiba did as well, and Gaara turned to me, his light green eyes looking into mine. Instead of shaking his hand, though, I threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank you," I murmured into his ear. I could feel Gaara hesitate, but a moment later he rested his hands on my lower back.

When he didn't respond, I could tell he wasn't used to hugging, so after a while, I awkwardly pulled away. "I hope I get to visit again sometime."

I stepped back, and we bid our farewells as Gaara headed back inside the Sand Village. After that, Naruto and Kiba regarded me with angry expressions.

"You gave him a hug… But not me?" Kiba asked.

"Um… Kiba, I'm not leaving you."

His expression remained the same.

I smiled meekly. "Kiba… If you really want one, then come here."

It was funny how much brighter his face got right then and there. He walked over to me so we could put our arms around each other for a moment.

"I suppose you want one, too, Naruto?" I asked.

The look in his blue eyes told me everything, so I pressed my body against his, wrapping my arms around his waist. I had a brief moment of Déjà vu, remembering the river with Naruto. His chest was so lean… My thoughts were interrupted by a spasm of pain through my ankle. I flinched, and Naruto stiffened.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just my ankle," I explained. "I broke it earlier, remember? It's just not fully healed yet, that's all. It's nothing, really…" My words proved false when I tried to take another step. Naruto caught my arm as I swayed.

"You've been through a lot of pain lately," said Naruto. "Rest easy."

I rode on Akamaru the rest of the way back to the Leaf Village. Apparently, I feel asleep, because when I woke up my face was buried in his neck. I lifted my head slowly to see Ino smiling at me.

"Hey, Savanna," she said. "I'm glad you got back alright!"

I laughed. "Hey, Ino." Naruto helped me stand after I brushed off Akamaru's white fur.

"So," Ino started. "There's a party tonight at my place. You wanna come?"

"Sure!" I said. "But why are you throwing a party…?"

Ino laughed. "Oh, we like to do that once in a while just for fun. Last time, Chouji hogged all of the snacks, so I'm trying to stock up on more for this party. This one is going to be awesome!"

This party did sound fun… And I wasn't going to do anything else anyway. "Okay," I said.

"Great," said Ino. "Show up at seven! See ya!" she jogged down the dirt road. Wow, she was perky…

"I think we should report to Lady Tsunade," said Kiba. "You know, just to tell her how awesome we did."

I sighed. "We kind of have to tell her about the mission."

On the way, I leaned heavily on Naruto, but I couldn't help it. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I wish I could walk normally."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto smiled.

When we almost reached the Hokage's building, the girl I remembered as Hinata looked like she was being pushed in front of us about ten feet away.

"Hey, Hinata," I called. She smiled slightly and walked up to us, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She twiddled her purple hair between her fingers.

"Hello, Savanna," she said. "Hi, N-Naruto, Kiba."

"Hey, Hinata. What's up?" asked Kiba.

"Well… Um… I heard that Savanna and Naruto were…. um… dating," said Hinata.

All of our eyes widened, and my cheeks grew warm. "Hinata," I said, "it's not like that. I broke my ankle on the mission, and Akamaru is tired, so Naruto is helping me get to Lady Tsunade."

"O-Oh…"

"Yeah," said a smirking Kiba. "Naruto is way out of Savanna's league. She would never date him!"

"What?!" exclaimed Naruto. He whirled on Kiba. "I'm not out of her league! You are!"

Now it was Kiba's turn to grow angry. "Are you kidding?" he retorted.

While they were arguing, I turned to Hinata. "Sorry about that… Who told you that we were dating, anyway?"

"Sakura…" Hinata trailed off.

"Well, I think Sakura wants to get back at me for talking to Sasuke or something. That's why I think she said that…"

Hinata laughed softly. "She's pretty sensitive when it comes to Sasuke, isn't she?"

"Yeah," I said. "I just got back from a mission, so I need to report back to Lady Tsunade."

"Oh. Of course," said Hinata.

"Naruto. Kiba," I called. They both stopped fighting immediately. "Could someone help me get to the main building?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Naruto. "We need to hurry this time."

Kiba grabbed a hold of Naruto's sleeve. "Move out of the way, Naruto. It's my turn."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I called it first."

I groaned and shook my head. "I'm sorry… This is so embarrassing. Anyway, Hinata, are you going to the party tonight?"

"Yes," she said. "Everybody always goes."

I smiled. "That's good. I guess I'll see you there, then." As I was saying those last few words, I felt Naruto wrap his arm around my waist. Hinata stiffened and I froze.

"Uh, Naruto… What are you-"A yelp escaped from my throat when Naruto lifted my legs up with his other arm, scooping me up in his arms.

"Wh-What are you doing?" I sputtered. Kiba growled and advanced on him, looking furious.

"Relax," Naruto chuckled. "We're almost there, and we'll get there the fastest this way. C'mon. See you later, Hinata."

Hinata started for a moment, but then she sagged. "O-Okay…"

Naruto zipped off towards the main building. "Naruto…" I trailed off. "Are you seriously going to enter Lady Tsunade's room like this?"

"Sure," he grinned. "Why not?"

I mentally groaned and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, I heard a door creak open while Naruto slowly walked into a room.

I heard Lady Tsunade ask, "Is Savanna alright?"

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Oh… Yeah. I broke my ankle on the mission, and Naruto felt the need to carry me." I pointedly looked up at him. "You can put me down, now."

Naruto helped me into a standing position and Kiba stepped forward. "Anyway," he said, "we finished the mission successfully. We beat the two intruders planning to invade the Sand Village, which were, in fact, part of the Akatsuki."

Lady Tsunade's hazel eyes reflected surprise. "Wow. I am very proud of you three. Good job." We all smiled.


	7. Chapter 7- Konoha Party

**Chapter 7**

I said my goodbyes to Naruto and Kiba, then walked home as quickly as I could with my injured ankle. When I reached my house, I took the time to use my medical ninjutsu on my broken ankle until it was somewhat healed. Rest was the top priority before the party, so I changed into my nightgown and flopped down on my bed.

* * *

The beeping alarm brought me back to consciousness and I sat at the edge of my bed, taking in my surroundings. It was 6:30 pm, so I took a quick shower and blow-dried my hair. It fell nice and wavy, flowing down my back. I also put on a purple skirt with a lavender blouse. When I looked in the mirror, I actually looked normal for once instead of ugly.

The walk to Ino's house didn't take a very long time; it took about 10 minutes. I slowly stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Ino opened the door. I could hear music playing inside.

She smiled. "Hey, Savanna! You look pretty."

"Thanks," I said. Ino stepped out of the way so I could enter the house.

In front of us, there was a flat screen TV with two Dance Dance Revolution boards in front of it. Tenten and… Neji (he didn't look like he was having much fun) were playing against each other. There stood a comfy-looking gray couch and recliner in the back of the living room. To my left, there was a kitchen with tons of snacks laid out on a long table. Chouji and Shikamaru were situated there, quietly talking (well… Chouji was eating). A set of stairs also led up to the second floor in front of me. To my right, a little hallway led to a couple of small rooms.

"Wow, Ino," I said. "You have a really nice house."

She giggled. "I get that a lot, but that also means that I host almost all of the parties."

"Savanna! You're here!"

Slowly, I turned around as Naruto approached Ino and me. "Hey, Naruto," I said.

Ino poked me in the side with her elbow and winked. "Remember what I told you in the flower shop? Have fun!" I mentally sighed as she walked into the kitchen. She was talking about Naruto liking me, but I seriously doubted that he actually did. There was no proof, anyway. I wasn't even pretty.

Naruto's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What was Ino talking about?" he asked.

I waved him off. "Oh, it was nothing."

His blue eyes grew bigger and he stepped forward. "Please tell me! It was not nothing!"

I looked up and smiled. "Actually, I had no idea what she was talking about."

Naruto's facial expression remained the same, so I locked eyes with him until he glanced down.

"Well, if you say so," he said, not sounding like he believed me at all.

"Come on," I said, pulling Naruto with me as I entered the living room. "Let's go watch this Dance Dance Revolution thing."

Tenten won against Neji and she stood in front of him, boasting. "It looks like you're not a genius in everything," she teased.

Neji crossed his arm and closed his eyes. "Why did I do this?"

When I glanced at Naruto, he shook his head. "Who would have known that Tenten would beat Neji in something? Even if it's not in ninjutsu or…" he trailed off and followed my gaze to a boy our age with his back to us. He was carrying a glass of soda.

"Who's that?" I asked. I hadn't seen him before.

Naruto chuckled. "Oh. You haven't met Sai yet!" Naruto poked the boy in the back, causing him to turn around.

Sai had straight, black hair and onyx eyes. He wore black capris and a short sleeved top that cut off about halfway down his chest.

He smiled politely. "Hello. My name is Sai."

"Hey, Sai," I said. "I am Savanna Raiyn."

"Hmm… You're a part of the Raiyn clan? That was a secret clan until recently. You're the only one left as far as we know."

Um, okay. "Yeah," I said.

"It must be lonely, not having any family," continued Sai.

Naruto shot Sai an angry look. "Sai! When will you ever learn to shut up?!"

"It's fine," I sighed. It was a big tragedy to go through, but I could move on. "You guys will be my new family."

Naruto smiled. "That's good to hear." We mingled for a while until I heard Ino's voice. "Everybody, we have a game! I'm holding a basket with six pairs of colors. Each person can pick one slip of paper. The two people who get the pink slips have to kiss!"

Ino passed through the room, making each person draw through the hat with their eyes closed. When she got to me, I slowly put my hand in. A few seconds later, I withdrew my hand and opened my eyes.

A pink slip of paper sat in between my fingers.

There were a few gasps and murmurs. I looked over at Naruto, who had a solemn expression on his face. "I got a blue slip…"

Scanning around the room, all of my friends received a color other than pink. When I started to sit down on the gray couch, a shrill girl's scream pierced the air; I recognized it as Sakura's.

"Ehhh? What?! Sasuke? You got Sasuke?"

My face turned white as I saw Sasuke walk into the room. His face remained devoid of any emotion. He held up the pink slip. "What is this? Ino told me to pick from it, and…" His eyes rested on the pink piece of paper I held. "What game is this?"

Ino giggled. "Whomever two people get the pink slips have to kiss!"

For once in my life, I saw Sasuke blush. "Do we have to do it in here?"

"No," said Ino. "There's a closet over there. You do it in there!"

A few people still gawked at us, but the rest returned to whatever they were doing before the game. Ino led Sasuke and me through the small hallway next to the stairs. When we approached a small door, she opened it and pushed us inside. "Have fun!" she called.

Surprisingly, the closet wasn't that dark. I looked up and met Sasuke's onyx eyes. "I never agreed to do this," he murmured.

I laughed softly. "None of us did."

Sasuke had on a blank expression, so I looked down awkwardly. Once Ino opened the door, I could just tell her that we kissed. Why did I do this, again?

My eyes snapped up when Sasuke rocked back and forth on his heels and finally closed the space between us. Wait… Was he actually going to do it…? No way…

My surprise increased tremendously when Sasuke cupped his hands around my face. I stopped breathing. He then pressed his body against mine, spreading warmth throughout it. Slowly, Sasuke leaned in and pressed his lips into mine.

When he pulled back, he smirked. "Tch. This game… How annoying."

I wasn't capable of doing or saying anything right now, so I just stared at him with a baffled expression on my face. I didn't really think he would do it!

Light suddenly flooded into the closet. Ino poked her head in and took one glance at Sasuke and me. "Yep," she said. "They kissed, alright."

Sasuke and I walked out of the closet (I stumbled). Sakura was standing a few feet away from us, looking furious. "This is not fair," she growled. "Did you really do it?!"

She was asking me, but I was still incapable of speaking, so Sasuke spoke for me. He nodded. "Those were the rules."

Sakura looked like she had tears in her eyes, and I kind of felt bad for her. "You could have just quit the game!"

"Hn. But I _wanted_ to play," said Sasuke. When I glanced over at him, he still had on a smirk, but he was looking at Sakura with annoyance. I knew he wasn't being serious; I could detect some sarcasm in his voice. Suddenly, it clicked. Sasuke kissed me so it would push Sakura over the edge Ha, ha. For some reason, I found that mildly amusing.

I finally regained my vocabulary and walked over to Sakura. "Come on… It's not like I'm going out with him or anything. Let's just forget about it and get a drink."

Sakura glared at me. "Forget? No. I think I'll be going home now." Turning on her heels, she stomped out the door.

I just shook my head as I returned to the gray couch in the living room and sat down. Closing my eyes, I tried to make sense of what happened. I just kissed Sasuke and now Sakura hated me. But it wasn't as if she didn't hate me before… I was bound to have some enemies anyway. I could go on living.

About a few minutes later, I felt someone sit next to me. Opening my eyes, I took in the sight of Naruto leaning back, playing with his fingers.

"Did you really do it," he inquired.

"Yeah," I confirmed. When Naruto's face sank, I hurriedly explained. "I didn't have a choice, remember? Plus, Sasuke is the one who kissed me. It was just a game."

Naruto looked up and grinned. "Yep! Just a game. Speaking of game, let's go play Dance Dance Revolution!"

Wow… He perked up pretty quickly. We played, and surprisingly he won. I wasn't very good at dancing.

The rest of the party was a blast. When the time came to leave, I thanked Ino and headed back to my house.

Suddenly, a person darted through the trees.

I jerked my head to the right, and my eyes rested on a small figure sitting on top of the trees. It was too dark to make out this person's features. After I blinked once, the space where the person sat was empty. Feeling nervous, I ran all the way home.


	8. Chapter 8- True Feelings

**Chapter 8**

The next day, I opened the door to see Naruto leaning against my house. Geez… Boys everywhere.

"Hey, Savanna," he said. "Wanna go to Ichiraku Ramen?"

There was something urgent in his voice, but I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. "Sure," I agreed.

As usual, he ate at least three bowls of ramen when I only ate one. It was good, but it was also filling. After Naruto paid for the meal (he refused for me to pay for it, for some reason) we took a walk in the village. I absentmindedly looked at my feet crunching on the gravel.

"So," said Naruto. My eyes drifted to his bright blue ones.

"I have to go train with Kakashi Sensei," he said, "and I would like it if you came."

I smiled. "Of course. I kind of need to train, too."

Naruto said that Kakashi Sensei would always be in the same clearing, so we zipped off there to find him reading a green book.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto called.

Kakashi lazily looked up. He had silver-gray spiky hair and he wore a mask that covered everything except his dark eyes. His navy blue headband drooped over his left eye, though. He closed his book and walked over to us. "So, this was the Savanna you were talking about."

Naruto shot Kakashi a death glare, but Kakashi laughed and turned to me. "Oh, don't worry. All of the things he said about you were good. Very good, indeed."

"Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto nearly yelled. "Can we train now?" I giggled.

During training, Kakashi didn't train Naruto at all. Actually, he was training alongside him. I watched as Naruto sat still for a few minutes. When I opened my mouth to question him, he eyes snapped open.

They now had orange rings around them, and his now yellow eyes had horizontal, rectangular pupils. Naruto looked at me. "Get a load of this. I'm in Sage Mode!"

So, Naruto was a sage? That was pretty awesome. I heard that gathering nature energy from around you could enable you to do that, but I hadn't even signed a contract with a type of animal yet.

Kakashi suddenly dropped down from the sky with a ball of lightning in his hand. When it hit its target, I felt a tremor and dust rose in a large cloud.

"Naruto!" I screamed. Why did he just sit there?

When the smoke cleared, Naruto remained in the same position as before, completely unharmed. "In Sage Mode, a thing like Chidori can't hurt me," said Naruto. He winked.

The moment he stood up, the orange rings vanished and his eyes faded back to blue again. "I would like to be a sage," I remarked.

Naruto smiled. "I've gotta admit, it's pretty cool."

I trained with Naruto and Kakashi for a while after that. When I repeatedly faced off against Naruto, I won and lost about an equal number of times. His strong suit was stamina, not wits. It completely appalled me whenever he produced one hundred shadow clones just like that… I was barely able to make two! I was better at forming plans in my mind during battle that ensured my victory in the easiest way possible.

Kakashi, however, was another story. He was _fast_. I could never keep up with his speed. Just when I thought my attack would hit him, he would always appear behind me with a kunai to my throat. My admiration for Kakashi gradually grew as I kept on losing to him. Naruto was so lucky to have a sensei like this… My old sensei was nowhere near this good.

Afterwards, I invited Naruto to my house for dinner. After we ate downstairs, we sat on my bed and talked.

I swung my legs back and forth. "So, why did you want to spend do much time with me today?" I questioned.

Naruto didn't answer for a few seconds, so I glanced over at him. He was staring at the pink carpet. Finally, he sighed and looked at me with intensity, startling me.

"It's because I want to, Savanna," he said. "And, well… We might not be able to see each other for a while. We won't always be on the same squad for a mission."

Naruto… wanted… to spend time with me because of that? I could feel my cheeks getting warm, so I averted my eyes to my fingers. When he slowly lifted his hand and put it on my cheek, I froze and looked up at his blue eyes.

"I love it when you blush," said Naruto. Of course, that only made me blush harder, making the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile.

"Naruto," I breathed. Suddenly, I realized that I was just basically staring at his face. Then, I realized that I loved everything about him. His blonde hair, his bright blue eyes, and even his whisker-thingies. Heck, I even loved his tendency to rush into things.

Naruto's hand still rested on my face, and he leaned down until our foreheads touched. "Savanna," he murmured. He then moved his hand on my cheek to my hair, tilting my face up so my lips could meet his.

His lips were urgent, but soft and gentle at the same time. Naruto pushed me against the wall on my bed, his hand holding onto my brown hair. A few seconds later, Naruto pulled back and gazed at me.

"Savanna," he started. "I've been meaning to tell you for a long time... Every moment I've spent with you, you've made me realize that I love you…"

"I love you too, Naruto," I nearly whispered. I then brought my face back to his.

He didn't even wait for permission, but I didn't care. Naruto slid his tongue across my lower lip and I opened my mouth, letting him in. Love blossomed in every cell of my body.

After a while, my hands found the zipper of his shirt and I pulled it down. He slid it off, setting it on the floor. My hands spread out on his smooth, muscular chest. I broke the kiss and gazed into Naruto's eyes.

He lay down and I followed his example, pulling the covers of the bed over us. "You're so beautiful," Naruto said. "I've though that ever since I met you."

He wrapped his arms around me, pressing me to his chest. "Don't leave," I whispered.

Naruto chuckled. "Not in a million years."

Feeling peaceful and content, I drifted off to sleep in Naruto's arms.

* * *

Sunlight filtered through my curtains as I slowly opened my eyes the next morning. Naruto's arms were still around me, and his already open eyes seemed to follow my every move. When I wriggled a little, he tightened his arms slightly.

"Don't you even think about leaving me," he said.

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I might as well stay here for a while, then. But I don't mind."

Slowly, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. If possible, he tightened his arms more, but no matter how tight they were, I wanted them tighter.

I broke the kiss about a minute later. "I'm so glad I met you," I said. "Did you know it was actually Guy Sensei who told me to go to Ichiraku Ramen my first day in the village?"

"Really?" asked Naruto. "Bushier Brow Sensei? That's pretty weird, but I'm glad he told you to go there!"

I laughed again, but it trailed off pretty quickly. Naruto seemed to notice. "What's wrong?" he inquired. His blue eyes widened in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing," I said. It was just something Ino told me earlier about Sakura.

"You're a bad liar," Naruto smirked. "C'mon! Tell me, or I won't let you go."

I buried my face in his neck and sighed contently. "That's fine with me. But I'll tell you if you really want to know."

"Yes," Naruto immediately said. I had to hide another laugh; he was so predictable most of the time. At other times, he would so some weird, wacky thing that caught everyone off guard.

I sighed again, pulling back so I could run my fingers through his soft, blonde hair. "Ino told me… that you liked Sakura."

Naruto looked shocked. "If I did, then why would I be here? It was true two years ago, though… I did like her. I actually thought I was in love."

Shyly, I looked down. "I see…"

A few seconds later, Naruto laughed startling me. My eyes snapped back to his face. "Savanna…" he trailed off. He was smirking for some reason. Why…?

"I was totally off," he said. "I liked her for some weird reason. Sure, I thought I was in love, but I wasn't even close until I met you. Now, I know what true love feels like! Sakura is nothing but a mere friend to me. You, Savanna… You are my life. You are my reason to live."

His words were so sudden; I had to process them in my head for a few seconds. After that, I could feel a smile spreading across my face.

"Naruto," I breathed. Gently, I lifted my hand and rested it on his cheek. "I love you, too. I will protect you with my life."

Reluctantly, I got up and picked up Naruto's orange and black jacket on the floor. My eyes then took in the sight of him shirtless on the bed, and I hesitated. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

"Naruto, put this on," I said. "Quickly, before I change my mind."

Naruto chuckled. "What if I don't put it on? You'll be happy, won't you?"

Yes. Yes, I would, but he couldn't go walking around shirtless all day. Plus, I would get distracted. Really distracted.

A hint of irritation leaked into my voice. "Come on," I said. "Come over here and put this back on."

When he didn't answer for a few seconds, I opened my eyes.

Naruto wasn't lying in my bed anymore; he was standing a few inches away from my face. Almost all of my willpower crumbled when I met his vibrant blue eyes. All I could do was gaze at him.

I shook my head. "Ugh… Stop doing that! Here." Quickly, I shoved his jacket into his hands. Naruto just smirked and put it on.

* * *

Later that day, I visited the library to catch up on reading. Jutsu peaked my interest, so I picked a book showing someone different kinds. After I checked it out, I sat down at a nearby table and started reading.

The chair in front of me moved, so I absentmindedly glanced up, meeting Sai's onyx eyes as he sat down. "Hey, Sai," I greeted.

"Hello, Savanna," Sai responded. He smiled slightly, and then paused. "Something seems different about you today."

Naruto told me that Sai was completely clueless when it came to people and social etiquette, but I thought he was extremely observant. I averted my eyes a little lower. "What do you mean?"

Sai chuckled. "You just seem dazed, that's all. Naruto also seems to be acting different. He's in a very good mood. Did something happen between you two?"

His words caught me off guard, causing me to blush. Sai couldn't have been more forward. I didn't really want to lie to him…

"Well… Yeah," I said. I finally looked up and met his eyes. "Naruto and I are kind of going out now."

"I see," said Sai. "I can't believe Naruto would ever get a girlfriend."

I smiled; everyone always made that assumption about Naruto.

I couldn't stay at the library reading this book all day, so I checked it out and walked down a dirt path leading to the main road. A breeze rustled my hair to the left. As I turned my head to catch the strands covering my face, I saw the same figure as I did after the party sitting amongst the trees.

I immediately stopped walking; the person's features were distinguishable, now. It was a man about the age of nineteen or twenty. He had blonde hair; half of it was put into a ponytail. Long bangs covered the left side of his face, and he had an icy blue eye (his hair covered the other eye, so I couldn't see what was behind it). For some reason, he was smirking.

But what made me raise my guard was the Akatsuki robe he was wearing.

How did an Akatsuki member get into the Lead Village? In a flash, I threw a kunai towards him, but he vanished. I was very close to panicking, but I wasn't going to tell anybody… It would raise too much stress. Plus, it didn't seem like that guy was going to attack me; it was more like observing. Of course, the reason was definitely not good since he was a part of the Akatsuki. I swore to myself that the next time he showed up, I would report to Lady Tsunade.

As I turned the corner, Naruto surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist when I bumped into him. "I missed you," he said.

My heart leaped. "I missed you too, Naruto," I said. Slowly, I leaned in and molded my lips to his.

For some reason, Naruto crushed me against him. When I tried to move, his arms secured me in place. I was really confused, so I broke the kiss and opened my eyes.

Instead of Naruto, I gazed into the eyes of the blonde Akatsuki member.


	9. Chapter 9- Goodbye

**Hey, guys! I'm trying to update as fast as I can, but sometimes I probably won't be able to update for a while (blah... work). Hopefully, I'll be able to update on a regular basis, though.**

So. In the dubbed version of Naruto, Deidara says "hmm", and in the subbed version, he says "un". I really like both versions, so in this story, he's saying both! Yayy.

I really like reviews. Seriously. And I mean

**_all_**** reviews. I like reviews that tell me what I'm doing horribly on, and I like reviews that tell me what I'm doing well on. I like reviews that seem pointless, like those ones that say "hiiiii" or ":)". So, please feel free to write a review. Thank you! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Shocked, I gasped and struggled, but to no avail. The Akatsuki member chuckled. "Nuh-uh. You're not going anywhere. I need you for the Akatsuki. If you try to scream for help or run away, I'll blow you and your friends up, yeah."

Quickly, I weighed my options. If I did yell for help, my friends would be at risk of getting killed. If I went along quietly, the damage inflicted on them would be minimal. Blowing up wasn't a good choice, either.

"Fine," I spat. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave the Leaf Village alone?"

"Sure thing, as long as you keep your word," he said. Hesitantly, he let go of me and stepped back, seeing if I was going to make a run for it. Endangering my friends' lives? I wouldn't have been so selfish as to have tried and escaped.

The guy chuckled again. "This is good… Savanna, is it? You're pretty obedient. I finally get to show off my art. Hmm."

How did he know my name? What did the Akatsuki want with me? I watched in horror as he turned the right palm of his hand up. When a mouth opened up there, I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The mouth spit out a mound of clay, and he closed his hand in a fist. A small, white, elaborate bird sat in his palm when he opened it up. How did he do that? The smirk still on his face, he threw the bird into the air and made a hand sign, causing the bird to grow massively in size. The amount of detail still remained the same.

Despite the fact that this guy was an Akatsuki member, I took an intake of breath. This creation was priceless… And he made it in a mere few seconds. Akatsuki members these days…

"Wow," I breathed. "It's… It's beautiful…"

Wait.

Did I just say that out loud?

He stopped moving and gawked at me with a surprised countenance. I had a feeling he didn't get that comment very often. If I wasn't probably heading towards a certain death right now, I would have laughed.

A few seconds later, he composed his facial expression. "I like you already. You know true art when you see it." He hopped up on the bird. "Come on."

Silently, I apologized to Naruto and my peers in my head. With tears glinting in my eyes, I jumped up onto the bird behind the Akatsuki member.

"You need to hold onto me," he said as he turned his head toward me. All I saw was a screen of blonde hair. "Wouldn't want to have you falling off, would we? We need you alive."

These people disgusted me. I looked firmly into where I thought his eyes were behind all that hair. "No."

He shrugged. "Hm. Whatever." I seriously thought about jumping as the clay bird took off, but that wouldn't do any good. All I could do was sigh.

* * *

Again, the flight took my breath away and I nearly forgot about the guy (almost, but not quite). I couldn't stop myself from leaning over so I could see the terrain below. Sometimes when I was in that position, my gaze would wander to him, and I'd see him looking back at me with a slight smile on his face. Of course, I would quickly return to my original place at the center of the bird.

When I lost track of what land we were in (mentally cursing), he landed his bird in a small clearing sitting in the forest. I could hear a stream gurgling nearby, but I couldn't detect signs of anybody else in the area. However, I wasn't a sensory-type shinobi, so I couldn't really rely on my instincts. The guy hopped off of the bird, and I did the same. We were far away from the Leaf Village; I assumed I could try and escape now without my friends getting hurt. When I zipped towards the forest, the Akatsuki member appeared in front of me and clamped his hand on my wrist, forcing me to halt in place.

"No escaping, remember?" he reminded me.

A simple tactic like that wasn't going to confine me here. After sucking in as much air as I could hold, I added chakra to it and blew it out, slamming him against a nearby tree. He grunted at the impact and I made a mad dash into the vegetation.

I didn't get very far. A few seconds after I started running, the area in front of me exploded, sending me flying backwards onto my back. A shadow soon blocked the sunlight from my face. Feeling dizzy, I looked up and saw the blonde guy watching me with an amused expression.

"You turned out to be a little of a burden," he stated. "I don't want to keep Leader Pain waiting. Do you want me to carry you in there? That would make you lose some cool points, un."

I most definitely didn't want him to carry me, let alone touch me! It didn't seem like he wanted to kill me… yet. I mean, if he did, wouldn't he have done it already? Besides, I remembered him mentioning something about needing me alive. Sighing, I stood up and brushed the leaves and twigs out of my chestnut hair. I had no choice but to follow him.

When we arrived at the clearing we landed at, the Akatsuki member made a hand sign. Simultaneously, a door opened from a very large tree trunk. As we descended the spiraling stair leading down, I wondered where the peculiar white bird went.

Surprisingly, the place smelled… flowery.

There was actual carpet on the floor, and the walls were made of some very smooth stone. During some occasions when the guy led me down countless hallways, I tried to fall back and dart through a place to escape somehow. However, he would always appear in front of me at some point with that ridiculous smirk plastered on his face; he never seemed to lose patience with me. Finally, after the third attempt at trying to flee, he took a hold of my waist with his arm and led me down hallways until we arrived at a tall, gaudy door. He was creeping me out.

The guy knocked on the door with his free hand. "It's Deidara," he stated. "Mission successful. Hmm."

A low, deep voice replied from the other side. "Enter."

Slowly, Deidara pushed open the door and led me inside to the middle of the room. There were two chairs, and there were full bookshelves lining the room. In the back, a large, dark, wooden desk sat with piles of papers stacked on top.

Sitting at the desk, another Akatsuki member eyed me. He had orange spiky hair and black piercings embedded into his face, but what surprised me the most was that he possessed the Rinnegan.

I had no idea how powerful the Akatsuki had actually become. I had only heard of the Rinnegan in legends, but now, I was seeing it right before my eyes. It almost made me submissive to him. When I tried to wriggle out of Deidara's grasp, his arm tightened slightly and he chuckled.

"I got the girl you requested," he said. His tone was light and almost carefree. Despite that, I could tell he respected the guy in front of me dearly… He was most definitely the leader of the Akatsuki. "She tried to escape many times, but I wasn't going to let her out of my sight."

Why did this leader want me? His Rinnegan stare sent chills down my spine.

At last, he spoke. "I am Pain," he said to me. "I am the leader of the Akatsuki. I sent Deidara to bring you here for various reasons. You possess all five chakra natures in you. Our previously new member, Shouni, could communicate telepathically. He sent a message to us about you before he died."

Oh, great. Yeah. All that work about keeping my secret a secret, gone. I bet this was exactly what my parents were worried about- the Akatsuki finding out about my five chakra natures. Were they going to do something to me like they did to the tailed beasts somehow? Extract my chakra natures? Was that even possible?

Pain took a deep breath, his gaze never faltering. "We need you for the Akatsuki. Join us."


	10. Chapter 10- Joining the Akatsuki?

**Hi! I like this chapter. It's very important. *wink wink* I'll try to update as soon as I can...**

**Warning: Hidan curses. Well, I'm sure you all know that. I kind of minimized the cursing, though. It ****_is_ rated T, after all. I'm saving all the cursing for my next story (rated M). Teehee. ;)**

**Thanks for the reviews! I really liked reading them... And yes, I will take all ideas into consideration.**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

My mind went totally blank.

Join. The Akatsuki.

Asdfghjkl.

No way. The Akatsuki captured Jinchuriki and extracted the tailed beats from within them, killing the Jinchuriki in the process. And for what? Power. The organization was sick and corrupted and evil and, and, and…

Once I gained the ability to speak again, I couldn't think of anything to say. "What…?" I started out. "Why would I- after what you did- is this a joke-… No!"

Pain's Rinnegan stare continued to pierce my soul. Even though it was a little difficult (okay… _really_ difficult) to maintain eye contact with him, my gaze didn't drop or waver. After about a minute, Pain spoke again.

His expression remained emotionless. "We need you," he repeated. "If you refuse, I will destroy the Leaf Village."

My resolve faltered. This was not good. All of my friends… and Naruto… They would be gone.

This time, I lowered my eyes, a pained expression most likely showing on my face. I gritted my teeth in anger. Why did this have to happen? I surely wouldn't be able to stop the _leader _of the Akatsuki from demolishing the Leaf Village… And even if I did, which was very unlikely, I would probably have to fight the other members as well. The chances of me succeeding were very low.

Painfully, I looked back up at the leader. "…Very well," I said. My voice sounded hollow. Anything for the Leaf Village, for their kindness.

Pain still didn't show any emotion. "Good," he said. He turned to Deidara. "We don't have a room for her, so she'll stay with you. Don't get too carried away."

My eyes narrowed slightly. What did Pain mean by that? Whatever it was, Deidara smiled at the thought. "No promises," he said.

"You are dismissed," said Pain.

Deidara led me back through the twisting labyrinth of hallways. "You'll know your way soon enough," he said to me. "Hmm."

Like I cared. How was I going to get back to Naruto? I was still stiff because of his arm around my waist. "You can let go, now," I pointedly stated. "I'm not going to run away."

Deidara kept his arm where it was. "I'm not going to let a girl who appreciates my art out of my sight, hmm. Those don't come around very often." He was still creeping me out.

When we came to what looked like the living room area, I spotted another Akatsuki member sitting on the white couch watching TV. He had silver hair slicked back and purple eyes. His cloak was halfway unzipped, showing his chest. For an Akatsuki member, he seemed sort of… careless.

"Huh? You actually completed a mission, Deidara?" he questioned sarcastically.

Deidara ignored him as we walked past. "Pay no attention to Hidan. He's drunk most of the time."

Hidan glared. "Not true!" he exclaimed. "If I wasn't so tired right now, I'd go over there and kick your ass." His gaze lingered to me, and his tone merged into a seductive one. "Hey, there. I'm Hidan. Come visit my room sometime."

I jerked my head away from him. This place was just getting creepier and creepier. Why didn't I just stay with Naruto? I mentally chastised myself for walking in a deserted part of the village without anyone else.

After a few more minutes of walking, we came across a surprisingly ordinary-looking door. Almost cautiously, he opened it and nudged me inside.

There was a queen-sized bed in the right bottom corner of the room (it had the Akatsuki cloud design on the sheets… big surprise), and there were a few desks pushed up against the wall with clay and books scattered all over them. A closet stood to the left, but what really caught my attention were the tiny clay sculptures hanging from the ceiling. My eyes were so transfixed on them that I didn't notice Deidara standing a few inches away from my face. When he came into focus, I tried to step back, but instead I backed up into the wall.

"Don't act so scared. Hmm," said Deidara. His mouth curled up into a smirk. "You'll be living here from now on. There's only one bed, so we'll have to sleep together."

My mind processed that idea. Me… in the same bed as an Akatsuki member. Well, technically I was one, now. That didn't matter. I would never think of myself as a real Akatsuki member.

I shook my head. "I would rather sleep on the floor."

Deidara's tone remained light and carefree. "Oh, that's harsh. But you can't sleep on the floor, un. I'll make sleeping in the bed fun."

What was he doing? Trying to seduce me? Sure, his words made me want to shiver, but that was _so_ not an option right now.

If possible, he stepped even closer to me. Our bodies were almost touching, so I held my breath and hoped he would step away. Of course, he didn't. His eye glazed over my body and then met mine.

"Well, well," murmured Deidara. "You have a pretty artistic figure." What was it with him and art? While I stood frozen, pressing myself against the wall as hard as I could, he leaned in.

Our lips barely touched when the door flung open and an Akatsuki member with an orange, swirly mask on flailed inside. When he saw us, he gasped. "Oooh! Deidara-Senpai! You're kissing a girl!" his voice sounded high and squeaky.

Deidara paused, then pulled back away from my face. I let out my breath I was holding. "You idiot!" he exclaimed. "She's a new member of the Akatsuki, now, and she's mine. She actually appreciates my art. Hm!"

Tobi leaned towards me. "Hello," he said. "I'm Tobi. What's your name?"

Still shocked from earlier, I barely muttered my name. "…Savanna…" I trailed off.

"Oh!" said Tobi. "I don't know any Savannas. Uhh… Until now, of course. Why were you kissing Deidara-Senpai?"

My face flushed pink. "I didn't choose to. He cornered me!" I pointedly glared at Deidara.

Deidara laughed. "Hm. I couldn't resist. When Savanna thought I was Naruto, the kiss she gave me was pretty nice…"

Just him mentioning Naruto's name sent a jolt of pain through my heart. What would Naruto think when he found out that I left the village? What would he do? I certainly hoped he wouldn't come looking for me… He was surely bound to get hurt.

"You get a kiss, Deidara-Senpai?!" cried Tobi. "Leader Pain won't be happy!"

"I'm not stupid, Tobi," muttered Deidara. "He said not to get too carried away, un. I'm not carried away."

"But-"

"Ugh! Shut up!" Deidara's face showed a lot of irritation. Quickly, while Tobi tried to convey a message to him, Deidara pushed him out of the door and locked it.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Tobi can be annoying sometimes. Actually, he's annoying all of the time. Hm."

By then, I was barely paying attention to him. What was I going to do? Pain only said that I had to agree to join the Akatsuki for him not to destroy the Leaf Village, but if I disobeyed him, he would most likely follow through with that threat, anyway. Feeling confused, I lowered myself onto the bed and put my face in my hands.

Of course, a few seconds later, I felt Deidara sit next to me. "You'll get used to it," he said.

Yeah, right. Like he would know. I stayed silent.

Deidara sighed. "I didn't want to join the Akatsuki either but Itachi Uchiha forced me to. Hm."

That statement sparked my interest, so I glanced up. Sasuke's brother? All I could see was his screen of blonde hair covering the left side of his face.

He kept on going. "Itachi challenged me. If he won, I would join the Akatsuki. Hm. Well, you can see what happened. It was his stupid Sharingan…"

At this point, I was sitting up and openly staring at him even though he couldn't see me. "You actually know how this feels?" I inquired. He might have known a little, but I was fairly positive that he wasn't torn away from someone he loved.

"Yeah, un," said Deidara. He turned his head, a smirk on his face. I turned mine away once I met his eye. "But there are good things. Lots of powerful people will hunt you down. Hm."

"What's the good in that…?"

"It gives you an opportunity to show off your art, yeah. Or your skills. Whatever. I call it art."

I observed him for a moment, but all he did was smirk at me. The only thing that made him mad, it seemed, was Tobi. That smirk… I couldn't look him in the eye whenever he did that for some reason. It made me feel… I don't know. Tingly. Stupid hormones.

"Oh," said Deidara. "You have an Akatsuki robe and a ring waiting for you in the closet."

Slowly, I stood up and walked over to the closet, sliding open the door. The only thing in it was a black robe with red clouds embroidered on it, so I took it out and put it on over my clothes. It made me feel different. I wasn't so sure if it was a good or a bad feeling yet. I also picked up a ring with the kanji "value" embedded on it: 価.

Deidara chuckled. "It suits you. Hm."

I shook my head and started to head for the door, but Deidara walked over to me and put his warm arm around my waist. "Wait," he said. "Get a load of this. Hm." He reached in his robe and put his hand in a satchel around his waist. When he took it out, a mouth on his hand (again, I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming) spit out clay. Deidara closed his fist, and when he opened it, a small, white spider sat in the palm of his hand.

"Uh… Cool…" I trailed off.

Deidara chuckled again. "That's not all there is to my art." Deidara threw the spider in the air. When it was airborne, he made a hand sign and it exploded into a million, bright colors. Unfortunately, the beauty faded away in a few seconds.

How could this guy create something so pristine, yet deadly? I felt a sudden urge to touch his blonde hair, but I resisted. Where did that come from? That was weird…

"Wow," I breathed in awe.

…Did I say that out loud again?

Ugh. Mentally, I groaned. I couldn't let my feelings show around the Akatsuki; the consequences that resulted wouldn't be good.

He seemed to perk up almost instantly. "You are an angel bestowed to me from heaven," Deidara expressed. "You're perfect. You obviously know what beauty is. An on top of that, you're a beauty, too…"

Something fluttered inside of me. Huh? I shouldn't have felt that way. No… Deidara was an Akatsuki member. I shouldn't have been feeling that way…

In order to hide my feelings, I averted my eyes to the ground and didn't answer. Deidara stepped towards me, causing me to raise my guard. Instead, he gave me a knowing smile.

Not wanting to be anywhere near him, I quickly opened the door and started exploring the vicinity.


	11. Chapter 11- Confusion

**Hello, again. Ehh... I don't necessarily like this chapter, but it's important. Savanna is not bipolar, by the way. ;)**

Enjoy, and feel free to write a review! 

* * *

**Chapter 11**

During the course of two weeks, Deidara gave me a tour of the Akatsuki hideout and tips of what to do and what not to do around the other members. I didn't get to meet the other members, however; they were all on separate missions. It made my stomach twist to think that they could be ripping Jinchuriki away from their home villages. How in the world would I be able to do that?

Soon, the confusing labyrinth of the hideout was etched into my mind. At first, when Deidara and I shared the same bed, I would go to sleep facing the wall, trying to cut myself off from him. Eventually, though, I became less paranoid and faced him, often talking with him for a while before I drifted off. It helped me acquire a lot of information.

After the two weeks, I heard that the other members arrived from their missions; I was too exhausted to do anything, so I made my way back to my (Deidara's?) room and flopped down on the bed.

* * *

I dreamt of the Leaf Village. Everything felt so… tangible. The warm sun on my back, the gravel beneath my feet, and… Naruto.

I didn't know exactly where we were going, but I didn't care. My fingers were laced with Naruto's, and we were laughing and smiling. I mean, I think it was Naruto. I never looked at his face, but it had to be him. It _felt_ just like him.

Anyway, I led him to the place where Sasuke and I first met- the pond a little ways into the forest bordering the village. At this point, I could have sworn that this dream was real. The pond looked exactly like I had remembered, and the water sparkled because of the sunlight filtering through.

When I took another step towards the pond, Naruto stayed put. I tugged on his hand, but he still wouldn't move. Turning my head away from the breathless pond, I put an inquiring look on my face.

"Naruto, why-"

The sight before me made me shriek and let go of his hand, because _his_ hand wasn't Naruto's.

It was Deidara's.

How did I not notice that before? He did his trademark smirk, his long, blonde hair flowed in the wind, and he was even wearing his Akatsuki cloak. Why didn't anyone attack him if he was in the village…? Oh, yeah. This was a dream.

When Deidara took a step towards me, I took a step back and stumbled into the pond.

* * *

I jolted up from my reverie, breathing heavily. I thought I was holding hands with Naruto, because it _felt_ like Naruto. How did Deidara feel like Naruto?

Now that I thought about it… During those two weeks Deidara was showing me around, I caught myself checking out his features once in a while. I could certainly see him doing the same more often, but I ignored it and focused on memorizing the layout of the hideout.

My whirling thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open and Deidara walked into the room. Wow… Speak of the devil. When he caught sight of me, he smiled.

"Hey. The other members just returned today, un."

I lowered myself from the bed and nodded. "Yes, I've heard."

"Sasori my man would love to see you," he said thoughtfully. "But his viewpoint of art is… different from mine. Just tell him you like mine better. Hmm." He winked, and all I could do was sigh.

I nearly gasped when Deidara slipped his arm around my waist for the _n_th time. "You don't need to do that!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah," Deidara replied. "I do. Just to tell Sasori that you're mine."

"B-But I'm not yours!" I stuttered, stepping away from his grasp. I expected him to put his arm around me again, but instead, he backed me up against the bed.

"You certainly want to be," Deidara murmured. "I can see it in your eyes, un. And you think I haven't noticed all those glances you've been giving me? I'm not oblivious, hmm."

I took a small intake of breath and gazed at Deidara's blue eye. The overwhelming urge to run my fingers through his hair overpowered me again. To be honest, I thought his current smirk was kind of attractive. Okay, _really_ attractive. Mentally, I hit myself. But that still wouldn't change anything, because I loved Naruto. Not him.

"No," I said weakly.

Deidara laughed. "Yeah, right. I can tell with these things, you know."

"No," I repeated. "It's… wrong…"

"Hmm?" Deidara questioned. "You're an Akatsuki member, now. Us together is one hundred percent right."

Now, his point was kind of getting to me. If I was an Akatsuki member now, I had to break all of my ties with the Hidden Leaf so they wouldn't get hurt (via Pain) if I tried to save/help them. I had to… forget about my feelings for that place…

The urge to touch his hair was so strong now that I couldn't resist it. Hesitantly, I lifted my hand and stroked Deidara's bangs. It didn't seem like he minded. In fact, it looked like he loved my behavior.

"See?" he said. "It's not so bad, is it?"

Slowly, I lifted his bangs and took in the sight of… what was it? A contraption thing?

"What is that?"

"It's a scope," Deidara answered. "I use it to counter genjutsu and… other things, un."

Wow… Deidara was so powerful. My admiration increased, and a little voice inside of my head started to warn me.

_You don't love him. You don't love him. You don't love-_

Shoving that voice away, I leaned in until my lips met with his.

I never realized that I had such strong feelings for Deidara until now. His lips were warm and inviting, and it reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. At the moment, I didn't really care. His fingers weaved themselves into my hair, fastening them there. I had a feeling that this would have escalated quickly if there wasn't a quick rap on the door.

Deidara pulled away and gave me a lustful look, sighing. My mind was spinning; I couldn't quite think straight. Slowly, I walked over to the door and opened it.

On the other side of the door, a teenage boy looked at me with interest. He had reddish-brown hair with the same color eyes.

"Are you the new member?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Why wouldn't I be if I was wearing the robe?

Deidara pressed against my back. "Sasori, my man," he said. "How nice to see you. Hmm."

Sasori pointedly observed the way Deidara was situated against me, but Deidara smirk didn't change. Sasori sighed. "I need some equipment to build new puppets," he said.

"What's in it for me?" asked Deidara.

"Nothing. They're mine, anyway. I left the supplies in your room."

For a few seconds, the two stared each other down. I didn't want this to turn into a fight right then and there…

"Deidara," I murmured. When he glanced down at me, I tried my best to lock eyes with him pleadingly. Finally, he sighed.

"Alright." He stood aside so Sasori could walk inside. Just to prevent any quarrels, I took a hold of Deidara's wrist and led him down the hallway.

Deidara didn't resist, but he chuckled. "Do you even know where we're going?"

He didn't know that I knew the layout of this place? I wasn't exactly sure why, but I replied with a negative.

Deidara stopped walking. "How about we train? I haven't seen your techniques. I'd like to work well with you in battle. You might be my partner, you know. Hmm."

I gazed at his blue eye. "Alright… Where are we going?"

"Come with me, un." Deidara slipped his arm around my waist yet again, but this time I liked it. I even leaned on him a little. I had another moment of Déjà vu, thinking back to that time when Naruto supported me after my first mission. A pang of sadness punctured my heart, so I pushed that thought away.

Deidara led me through another opening leading outside. I stepped into a small, grassy clearing with thick trees surrounding the sides. The sunlight filtering through the leaves caught in his hair, making the blonde strands glisten. With little success, I tried focusing on training with him instead of his good looks.

"I doubt anything can beat my art," said Deidara with a smirk. "Even you, who possesses all of the five chakra natures. But, still… That doesn't really matter if you don't have skill, yeah."

I made no reply, but I situated myself in a defensive stance. So, he made explosive clay creations with the mouths on his hands… If I didn't give him time to create them, victory would be in my favor. I wouldn't lose to another Akatsuki member.

Without really thinking about my tactics, I formed my air sword as fast as I could and sprinted towards him. However, a move like that couldn't would him… In the back of my mind, even I knew that. I felt desperate, longing to be noticed by these S-Rank criminals. He quickly ducked back into a low branch of the nearest tree behind him.

"You're an Akatsuki member, now," said Deidara. "Think about your moves before you charge ahead, un."

This was just training, but I didn't particularly like the tone of his voice. The feelings of love I just witnessed were gone now, so I just stood still and regarded him, waiting for them to come back. He took up the time by forming his clay explosives.

Surprisingly, I felt nothing. How unusual… This was such a drastic change from a few moments ago! The emotions I felt were so strong… How could I not feel anything right now? Maybe I was too focused on training. A few seconds later, I put all of my concentration into beating him.

While I was marveling at my feelings, Deidara threw little clay spiders into the air above me. I mentally scolded myself and contemplated dashing into the trees, but there was no time. Almost as quickly as he threw the sculptures, Deidara made a hand sign and yelled, "Katsu!"

My eyes widened and time seemed to halt for a moment. Deidara was not holding back at all… I guess that's what came with becoming an Akatsuki member. Still, though… I didn't consider myself to be a _real_ one. I was still searching for ways to get back to or help the Leaf Village without being caught. Hastily, I formed a hand sign and muttered, "Wind Style: Air Repel Jutsu."

The spiders exploded, but simultaneously, my Jutsu went into effect. Almost all of the air around me blew into the opposite direction, causing the dense smoke to obscure Deidara. I had to think of a Jutsu quickly.

But, what Jutsu would I use? As seconds ticked, something nagged me at the back of my mind. When Deidara set off the bombs, he used an earth style hand sign. And of course, clay came from the earth… Of course! I would have to use lightning style to keep his bombs from exploding. I started to feel grateful for having all of the five chakra natures. I weaved hand signs as quickly as I could.

"Lightning Style: Finger Needles Jutsu."

Two, thin, lightning daggers protruded from each of my fingers. From earlier practice with this Jutsu, I knew fully well that the tiniest flick of my wrist or finger would send the needles flying straight into the target in front of them. To test my theory about keeping his bombs from exploding with my lightning style, I let Deidara create more bombs and leap out of the smoke.

He always stayed within at least fifteen feet of me; he obviously wasn't very skilled at close-range fighting. Somehow, I had to get near him and defeat him with my Taijutsu, but there were always the bombs.

A few seconds later, a new set of spiders flew towards me. Quickly, I flicked each of my fingers towards them, pinning each of them either to a tree or the ground. Deidara laughed from a nearby tree.

"You didn't get all of them," he said. "Katsu!"

This time, only the sculptures that weren't pierced with my lightning daggers detonated. So, my tactic did work! I could easily evade the exploding spiders by running up a nearby tree. My air sword was scattered somewhere due to the first explosion, so retrieving it was not an option right now. And I was closer to Deidara! While he stood on a branch with his hands in his pouches, I zipped towards him and pushed him off.

I was holding onto his cloak, so I fell to the earth with him. We landed on the soft grass with a thud. As he lay there, baffled, I formed another air sword.

However, I didn't get the chance to slash with it. Deidara jumped up, causing me to lose my balance and roll off of him. After all this time, I wasn't going to let him escape up another tree and create more bombs. As I was falling, I tripped him by linking our ankles together. Again, we sprawled in the grass.

This time, I was the one that jumped up quickly. Not wasting any time, I sprinted towards the dazed Deidara and plunged my word into his upper left arm.

As quickly as my feelings for him had vanished, they returned when I heard his pain-filled scream.

I immediately pulled the sword out of his arm. "Deidara!" I gasped. "Deidara! I'm so sorry. Are you alright? This was just training, but I totally lost it!"

Deidara's chest heaved a little, but his eyes focused on me. "It-It's alright, un," he murmured. "You're-" He cut himself off and cringed. Panic filled my features and I held my hands over his arm, healing it as fast as I could.

Deidara chuckled weakly. "Wow. You're a medical ninja, too? With that and your five chakra natures, no wonder Leader Pain wanted you. Hmm."

How did I not feel anything for him before? He was attractive, strong, and sweet. My heart seemed overwhelmed by the emotion of love flowing in. I watched with concern as the wound on his arm healed and a little color returned to his face.

A few seconds later, I realized that I was basically sitting on him. "Ugh. I'm probably making it hard for you to breathe," I groaned. Quickly, I jumped up, and Deidara followed my lead.

"Ahem."

Deidara and I swiveled around at the noise. Another Akatsuki member came into view, standing in front of the entrance to this little meadow.

Akatsuki members seemed to be getting more peculiar by the minute. This one had blue skin, and his eyes were like a fish's- wide and perfectly round. Two sets of gills were imbedded in his bony cheekbones, further enhancing his fishlike appearance. Dark blue hair stuck out of his headband, and what looked like a bandaged sword was strapped to his back.

"I heard about the new Akatsuki member," he said. His voice was kind of raspy. "Heh. It looks like you've gotten to know her already. Did Leader Pan tell you not to get too carried away?"

By then, my face was flushed red from top to bottom. However, Deidara remained unfazed. We both approached the visitor.

"Kisame, my man," said Deidara. Despite the carefree tone, he seemed to respect this Kisame, even if only to a small degree. "Of course he did. My art isn't the only thing I'm dexterous with. I basically show prudence in everything I do. Hm."

Kisame laughed, but his eyes still remained perfect circles. "I should have predicted that… I've known you long enough. So, Savanna, is it?"

It took me a few seconds to realize that he was speaking to me. "Yes," I said.

"Since you just recently joined our group, Leader Pain is going to reassign the two-man teams. If we're together, I'd like to get to know you better."

Kisame wasn't as scary as he looked. "Cool," I said.

He smirked. "It's getting dark, and Konan is finished with dinner. You lovebirds might as well come with me."

How did he come to the "lovebird" conclusion? Deidara and I weren't doing anything when he arrived… And seriously? Just when I regained control of my blushing, Kisame, had to mention that. As usual, my cheeks grew warm and Deidara acted as if nothing happened. I shouldn't have been with Deidara… I belonged with Naruto…

"Go on," Deidara urged. He gently pushed me with his hand resting on the small of my back. Left with no other choice, I followed behind Kisame to my first dinner as an Akatsuki member.


	12. Chapter 12- Akatsuki Life

**Hello, again. :) Wow... This is a long chapter. My fingers are sore from typing. I love Tobi! 3**

Warning: Hidan curses.

**Enjoy this chapter! Don't hesitate to write a review. Reviews are very nice. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

When Deidara, Kisame, and I entered the dining room, I grew silent and shrunk away from everyone except for Deidara. Of course, my tactic didn't work. As soon as I sat down at the surprisingly fancy dining table, I peaked the other members' interest.

If I thought Kisame was weird-looking, he didn't compare to the guy (or thing) sitting in front of me. One half of his face was white, and the other was completely black. He had short, light green hair, and two, green, claw-like appendages framed each side of his face, giving him an appearance similar to a Venus flytrap. I couldn't see a mouth on the back side of his face, but on his white one, his mouth curled up in a small smile.

"Why, hello, there," said the white face. His voice sounded relaxed and surprisingly… normal. "I'm Zetsu. I hope we can become friends."

It took almost all of my willpower to not look away or cling to Deidara at that moment. "…Hi," I whispered.

I became even more startled when the black half of Zetsu's face spoke. Instead of the relaxed, lethargic voice I heard just a few seconds ago, I heard a deep one that didn't sound far from a growl. "_Can't you see that you're scaring her_?" it questioned. "_You always scare everyone away. It makes things harder for everybody._"

White Zetsu laughed, but his eyes still lingered on me. "You're one to talk."

Deidara leaned in and put his arm around my shoulders, sending jolts of electricity down my spine. "I see you've met Zetsu… hmm."

"You seem to know Deidara well," White Zetsu remarked. Not really… Suddenly, it dawned on me that I didn't even know him for a month. And yet I loved him… Or I thought I loved him… Something weird was certainly going on here. But as I turned my head and looked at Deidara, all feelings of doubt vanished and passion overwhelmed me. The only thing I could do was nod slightly.

Despite all the ordinary activities I witnessed the Akatsuki do, the normal dinner still surprised me a little. Pain (I had to call him Leader Pain out loud, but I would never think of him as my leader) seated himself at the head of the table, and we had bowls of miso soup. Afterwards, Pain rose.

"Report early tomorrow in the main room so I can assign the two-man teams," he announced. "As you all know, Savanna Raiyn had recently joined the Akatsuki." As all the heads swiveled towards me, I fought to maintain a composed facial expression.

Pain took no more notice of my presence. "You are dismissed," he curtly said. Gracefully (somehow), he strode out of the room.

When I stood up, Deidara almost immediately grasped my wrist. "We need our sleep for tomorrow, un. Why don't we…" He stepped closer to me and dropped his voice a little. "…have some fun? Hmm?"

My heart leaped in my chest. Whatever he was suggesting, it gave me chills… The good ones, of course.

Tobi walked past me and jabbed Deidara in the side with his elbow. "Hehehehe… Remember what Leader Pain said, Deidara-Senpai!"

Deidara jerked away from him, a scowl appearing on his face. "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?! So many people have already reminded me, but I'm fully aware, hmm!"

As Tobi tried to apologize to Deidara, my confusion peaked. A lot of people _did_ warn Deidara about going too far with something. But, what? It didn't appear to me like he was doing anything. From then on, I decided to be more alert about my surroundings.

I sighed and nudged Deidara. "It's late. We should be going to bed, and Tobi's sorry. Right, Tobi?" I winked.

Tobi nodded his head way too enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! I'm very, very sorry!" He paused for a moment and put his finger on his chin, "…I thought you didn't know. I mean, you never listen to anything Leader Pain says, right?"

I mentally face-palmed.

Deidara snapped. "I'll get you, Tobi! I'll blast you off to the heavens, un! Of course I listen to Leader Pain. If there's anyone who doesn't listen to him, it's you! Hm!" When he took a step forward in anger, I frantically groped for something to say. My mind going blank, I gave Tobi a knowing look.

"Gah!" Tobi exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I really mean it this time, Deidara-Senpai! But, it's not like I wasn't sorry last time! I was! So, I'm sorry both times! That doubles the sorryness!"

Deidara seemed to grow even more furious, but I couldn't help it; a giggle escaped from me. His expression quickly changed to that of surprise.

"Tobi is nothing but infuriating. Hm," he stated.

"No, he's not," I retorted. "He's sorry."

Tobi nodded again. "Yep! See ya later!" Before Deidara could catch him, he zipped off.

He sighed. "Don't be so easy with Tobi," he said. "Once you get to know him, you'll want to punch him whenever you see him, un."

Wow… It appeared like the only person who could make Deidara lose his cool was Tobi. Other than that, nobody could seem to anger him. I fell silent, pondering over his mysterious personality.

Of course, Deidara took a hold of my waist with his arm and led me down the corridors. A blush began to form on my cheeks as we arrived at his room. However, instead of opening the door like he usually would, Deidara kicked it open and quickly zipped a few feet away from it.

"What was that for?" I inquired.

Deidara had on his "Tobi" expression. "Tobi had played a countless number of pranks on me, but I'm not going to get fooled again, un."

The more Deidara hated Tobi for his silliness, the more I liked him. I wasn't going to mention that, of course. We walked into the room and took off our robes for the night.

I marveled at my feelings yet again as I watched him change; my feelings of affection for him diminished. Something was definitely not right here. But, what was the cause of my emptiness? Or, more importantly, what was the cause of my… "Love"?

Suddenly, a pang of misery struck my heart. Naruto… I missed him so much. I wanted to get back to him. I needed to get back to him! I almost started to move, but thankfully the knowledge that Pain would surely destroy the Leaf Village if I left nagged me in the back of my mind. I would have to slip out unnoticed, somehow…

While I was immersed in my thoughts, Deidara appeared in front of my and brushed the brown hair away from my face. Returning to the present, I quickly took in the sight of his body and marveled at the flawlessness of it. My earlier feelings of emptiness were nearly forgotten, but not quite. The heat coming back into my cheeks, we snuggled under the covers of the bed in the corner.

All my neutral feelings towards Deidara was now gone; I even pressed up against him for warmth. He gazed into my eyes and eagerly wrapped his arms around me.

"Now," he murmured. "it's dark, but even now… I know this is art."

He didn't exactly say what he called art, but I was fairly certain he was talking about my body. One of his hands lightly traced the contours of my frame, and I loved every second of it. Deliberately, he started to lean down so his lips could meet mine.

My conscience seemed to warn me. _Pain said something about Deidara going too far with something. Aren't you wondering what it is? What about your earlier feelings of emptiness? Aren't you just the least bit curious as to why you felt the way you did?_

I wasn't exactly sure why, but I grasped those thoughts and held onto them. When our faces almost met, I tilted mine downward and Deidara's lips came in contact with my forehead instead. Heat spread throughout my body at the touch, but I fought against it and surprisingly… it nearly faded away. In order for Deidara to not become suspicious of my actions, I pretended to breathe in his scent.

"Mmmm," I sighed. "I feel like I could lie here forever."

Judging by his stiff body, he wasn't fooled. Cautiously, I looked back up. He gazed at me with such an amount of intensity that I could have sworn he was concentrating on something.

Suddenly, a fiery passion seized me and I felt like I needed to kiss him right then and there. Wrapping my arms around Deidara's neck, I crushed my lips to his. Where did that come from? I thought he would be confused about my sudden behavior, but instead he welcomed it gladly. Deidara returned my aggressiveness and wound his fingers into my hair, pushing himself on top of me as we kissed.

Soon after, I felt the need for air, so I broke the kiss. He and I lay tangled up with each other, breathing heavily. Deidara stroked my hair and smiled. "I'm in pure bliss," he said. That feeling of fiery passion still hadn't left me. I was trying to fight it, but it overwhelmed me even if I just looked at Deidara.

"I am, too," I agreed. Slowly closing my eyelids, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, I kept my eyes closed just in case Deidara was up. So, cautiously, I opened my eyes and took in the sight of him sleeping on the other side of the bed while facing me. If I could somehow leave the room without him noticing, I could maybe find out the reason of my conflicting feelings for him.

Speaking of that… right now, I felt nothing.

The truth hit me like a bucket of cold water in my face. For some reason, I only loved Deidara when he was around me (and awake) and concentrating on me. That's why I had no feelings for him during training; he couldn't concentrate on me because he was concentrating on fighting.

But, what enabled him to _manipulate_ my feelings?

Obviously, Deidara was more powerful than I thought. If I could find out how to stop that madness, then I could concentrate on returning to the Leaf Village unnoticed. I wondered how they took the news of me disappearing. Ino, Sasuke, Shikamaru… Naruto…

Naruto's name fueled my motivation even more. Slowly, I lifted the comforter off of me and then carefully wriggled off of the bed. So far, so good. Deidara hadn't moved an inch. After waiting a few moments, I deliberately tip-toed to the door and creaked it open (not without slipping on my cloak first; Pain made it a rule for an Akatsuki member to wear their cloak at all times). Once I was safely situated in the hallway and the door was completely closed again, I zipped down the corridor.

Crap. I had almost forgotten how this place was not far off from a labyrinth. Sure, I knew where everything was, but it could take me forever to reach my destination since moving quietly would take a long time. I couldn't leave yet; the Akatsuki would surely track me down. How was I going to obtain information about what Deidara was doing to me? I decided on grabbing some food first before exploring around the vicinity.

Eventually, I came across a big kitchen and grabbed a bagel I found in the fridge. In the room adjacent to this one, I spotted the guy known as Hidan completely sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep, with his scythe on the floor next to him. I smirked. I guess I had to expect the unexpected if I was ever going to get used to the Akatsuki.

Speaking of unexpected… Tobi came bursting into the kitchen.

"SAVANNAAAAA!" he yelled. "You're awake! Good mooooorning!"

I flinched and covered my ears. "Um… Good morning. But seriously, Tobi-"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Tobi and I turned around at the noise. When I found out who it was coming from, I froze. Hidan apparently jumped up from the couch he was sleeping on and grabbed his scythe when Tobi made his entrance.

While I stood in my spot frozen, Hidan advanced on Tobi. His silver hair was matted in many places. "Don't you #$%ing dare interrupt my beauty sleep! How many times do I have to tell you to stop yelling? I swear, I'll kill you!"

Tobi tried backing up and persuading him to stop, but Hidan wouldn't listen. I kind of liked Tobi, too… Instead of being serious, he was goofy all the time. But, wasn't Hidan the guy that tried to seduce me when I first met him…? So far, he creeped me out the most out of all of the Akatsuki members.

Nonetheless, I slowly approached him and put on my best smile. "Hidan, is it?" I asked.

Hidan currently had Tobi pinned against the wall by the neck, but when he heard my voice, he let go of him. Tobi crashed to the floor.

A sly smile replaced the furious expression Hidan had on just a few seconds ago, and he smoothed out his hair with his free hand. "I'm surprised you remembered my name, Savanna. Sorry about that… Tobi's an asshole. You'll agree with me later on. Trust me." He winked.

I guess this was supposed to seduce me or something, but it did anything but that. I chuckled. "He's just… different, that's all. Don't be so harsh on him… It's just kind of violent for me." Yeah, right. Like that was too violent for me. I just wanted the members to stop bullying Tobi. Trying to act sheepish, I looked down.

Hidan sighed. "That's violent for an Akatsuki member? Heh… Fine. Tobi doesn't know how lucky he is… I'm only letting him go for you."

Oh, god. How flirty could he get? I didn't want to provoke his temper or anything, so I lifted my eyes until I met his violet ones. "…Really?" I breathed.

"Oh, yeah." He paused. "Remember what I asked you last night? You should come visit my room sometime. Right now would be the best time, though…" Hidan walked over to me with the smile still on his face. When he slid his arm around my shoulders, my panic rose. I almost felt relieved when Deidara appeared in the doorway.

Almost.

"Hidan," he nearly growled. "Get your arm off of Savanna. Hm!"

Tobi scrambled up from the floor and rushed over to Deidara, holding onto his leg. "Waaaahh! Deidara-Senpai, save me from Hidan!" However, Deidara blatantly ignored him.

Gah! I still didn't know where to go, but I needed to avoid Deidara at all costs. I also didn't particularly like being around Hidan, either… I was getting a strong feeling that I was going to get raped by him or something. Quickly, I averted my gaze from Deidara.

"Heh," Hidan chuckled. "And what if I don't want to?"

I could hear the anger in Deidara's voice. "Leader Pain won't be happy, un. She belongs to me. Obviously, she's not very comfortable with you."

Hidan glanced down at me while I regarded the floor. "Whatever. She knows she wants me." However, when I thought he would let me go, he leaned down and whispered something in my ear.

"My offer is still standing," he murmured. I gave no answer, but when Hidan slid his arm off of my shoulder, I could have sworn he caressed my butt. My eyes flicked to him, but he was already walking down the hallway, muttering to himself.

Deidara opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. "Tobi?" I inquired.

"Huh?"

I regarded him pleadingly. "Stay."

Understanding clicked in a few seconds later, and Tobi clung to Deidara's leg like there was no tomorrow, making Deidara curse and shake it. "You got it!" he said.

So far, I still had no feelings toward Deidara. However, that was probably only because we were standing across the room from each other and I was purposely not looking at him. "Sorry, Deidara," I said. "I need to run a few errands." Quickly, I turned away and started walking in the direction Hidan headed.

"Wait, un!" Deidara called. "Tobi, if you don't get yourself off of my leg this instant, you'll be the canvas of my art!"

While they were fighting, I wheeled around the corner and made my way down the corridors, Luckily, Hidan was nowhere to be found. But soon, I heard a bang and Tobi's voice grew silent. Mentally cursing, I started jogging and looked behind me.

Big mistake.

No sooner had I turned around than I ran into the wall and fell onto the floor. Thankfully, it was carpeted. Holding my forehead, I slowly sat up and found Deidara standing over me, smirking. He held out his hand and I gladly took it.

"What was that about, Savanna? Hmm?" he asked.

When I looked at his sad expression, all of my resolve disappeared. However, the rational part of me still made up a good lie. I launched myself toward Deidara and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I'm so sorry, Deidara!" I exclaimed. "I wanted to be an Akatsuki member by myself. I wanted to do things on my own, but that was proven to be a disaster. I was so selfish… Please forgive me."

Deidara tilted my chin up with his index finger, and I regarded him adoringly. He was so attractive that I couldn't stand it… His light cerulean eyes made me want to melt… I wanted to let his blonde hair fall through my fingers…

"I will always forgive you, no matter what you do," said Deidara. "Now, come on. Leader Pain said he was going to reassign the two-man teams, un."

We all met up in the central room for the conference. Only the Deidara-Sasori team changed; Sasori was assigned with Tobi (Tobi was all bandaged up from his quarrel with Deidara), and I was assigned with Deidara. Big surprise. That move from Pain made me even more suspicious about the theory that Deidara was somehow playing with my feelings. I guess Pain wanted me to be manipulated by Deidara 24/7.

Despite all the resistance I provided, my "love" for Deidara always prevailed in the end. Every night, I had a make-out cession with him, and each time, I was gradually convinced that being with him was the right thing for me.

Maybe, it really was…

No. I had no proof yet, but there was always this small voice in my mind that told me those weren't my true feelings.

Weeks and months passed. Too soon, it was already a year since I'd joined the Akatsuki. My missions up to then were always centered on retrieving the Jinchuriki for a tailed beast. Now, we had every tailed beast except for the Nine Tails. I already knew what my mission would be when Pain called me up to his office.

"Retrieve the Nine Tails Jinchuriki," he ordered, "and bring him here alive. However, you will not go with Deidara this time. Tobi will be happy to help."

A small smile played on my lips. "Yes, Leader Pain," I answered. With Deidara not there to distract me, I could properly focus on the mission and capture this Nine Tails Jinchuriki… Whoever he or she was.

I would never admit it to anyone, but Tobi was still my favorite Akatsuki member even though everybody else hated him. I had yet to discover why he even joined the organization, but frankly, he was just enjoyable to be around. I also like seeing him prank Deidara. One time, unbeknownst to Deidara, I even helped Tobi pull a stunt off.

Pain frowned slightly at my small smile. "You will leave as soon as possible," he stated. "Take what precautions you feel are necessary. You are dismissed."

As I left the office to go and find Tobi, I ran into Deidara. As usual, I became overwhelmed by affection, but he seemed in a hurry. Quickly, he pecked my cheek. "Sorry, Savanna," he said. "I have to go check something with Leader Pain, hm. Don't you have to go on a mission with Tobi, un? Well, good luck. Kill him while you're gone, will you? Okay? See you later." And with that, he briskly strode down the hallway. Deidara didn't usually act like that… Whenever he would see me, he would pin me against the wall and kiss me like there was no tomorrow. I wished he really had done that…

No. Mentally, I scolded myself for my foolishness. Now that Deidara was no longer in my presence, I felt nothing but disgust towards him. The sooner I left with Tobi, the better.

When I finally found him, he was playing with Deidara's clay in one of the living rooms. I giggled. "Tobi, when Deidara finds out about that, it won't be pretty."

Tobi quickly stuffed the clay under the couch. "Hehehe… He won't, because Tobi is a good boy!"

I was so used to hearing him say that statement, so I didn't give it a second thought. "Yes, you are," I muttered. "Now, come on. Let's go on our mission and capture this Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Do you know where we're going?"

Tobi nodded his head vigorously. "Ohhh, yes! Follow me!" Before I could respond, he bounced out of the room. I could do nothing but try and follow him.


	13. Chapter 13- Reunion

**Chapter 13**

After a few hours of walking through the dense forest, I interrupted Tobi's random chattering. "Um, Tobi," I said, "where exactly are we going?"

He acted like he wasn't even in the middle of a sentence. "The Nine Tails Jinchuriki lives in the Leaf Village, so we're going there!"

The world grew shaky for a moment, and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Y-You're kidding, right?" My voice wavered.

Tobi also stopped walking and cocked his head to the side. "Uhh, no. I would never kid to you! I mean, you're my best friend! Is something wrong?"

I felt a little reassured that even a goofball like him could be my best friend, but that didn't really help at the moment. "Yes," I whispered. "Something is very wrong. Who… Who is the Nine Tails Jinchuriki?"

"He's very loud," explained Tobi. "I've met him before! He has reeaaaallllyyyy spiky blonde hair, and there are whisker-thingies on his face! I think his name is Naruto."

It took all of my willpower to not sink to my knees. Instead, I groaned and swayed a little. No… No. Not Naruto…

Why…? Why did it have to be _him?  
_I couldn't believe Naruto had never told me this. He had one of the most powerful of the tailed beasts sealed inside him, and I never suspected a thing! I thought Jinchuriki were all loners and rejected by society, but he was obviously different. Everybody loved him. I wondered how that came to be…

I loved him… I was sure of that. I was trying to find a way to return to the Leaf Village without Pain knowing, but this mission wasn't exactly what I had in mind, I had to warn Naruto, and I had to get to him before Tobi did. Even if… Even if he hated me for joining the Akatsuki.

Tobi gasped, ran over to me, and started shaking my shoulders. "Gaahhh! What is it about Naruto that you don't like?!"

I felt like I knew Tobi long enough to confide my emotions to him, and seemed like the type to forget what I said anyway. Slowly, I slipped out of Tobi's grasp. "No," I murmured. "I don't hate Naruto, Tobi. I love him."

Tobi stayed silent, which was the last reaction I would have expected from him. I took the opportunity to explain what I knew.

"I'm not oblivious to what's going on," I said. "I know Deidara's manipulating me somehow, making me fall in love with him. Well, it only works when I'm around him. In reality, I don't really love him. Right now, I hate him with all my heart. Before I joined the Akatsuki, Naruto and I were together. Deidara ripped me away from Naruto, who is the only shinobi I really love…" My words poured out quickly, almost sounding like one long sentence.

Tobi still remained silent, which was really starting to freak me out. "Tobi?" I inquired. "Are you okay?"

After a few seconds, Tobi finally spoke. "Savanna…" he started out. "We still have to do this! Leader Pain said so."

By then, I was 100% sure that I couldn't carry out this mission. But, I was also positive that disobeying Pain would only result in negative consequences. After a few very long seconds, I sighed. "You're right, Tobi," I said. "Leader Pain did say so. I'll do what he says." I forced a small smile to appear on my face.

Tobi nodded. "Yeah! We can't just walk in the village and capture him, though!"

Actually, I wasn't planning on capturing Naruto at all. I was planning on saving him and protecting him at all costs… even if it cost me my life.

"I'll spy on him," I lied. "I know the village pretty well since I used to live there. Once he's alone, I'll ambush him."

"Then, what do I do?"

My mind went blank for a moment, but I quickly recovered. I really wanted him to do nothing… However, that would only make me seem more suspicious. "You can come to my aid if I need help," I suggested. "I'll just yell for you. Could you also make sure that nobody is following me?"

"Of course!" Tobi complied. "Let's go!" Without waiting for an answer, he skipped off towards the Leaf Village.

* * *

I was actually closer to the Hidden Leaf than I thought; the huge green gate towered over me in no more than ten minutes. When Tobi and I parted ways, I tried to have a neutral expression on, but inside, my heart was beating frantically. How in the world was I going to do this…?

Instead of standing out in the open (where anyone would recognize the Akatsuki cloak I was wearing), I zipped off into the trees leading inside the village. I still had no idea how I was going to find… him, seeing as I was no sensory ninja. I couldn't even bear to think of his name…

Throughout the day, I carefully circled around the border of the forest, quietly speculating the entire village. I didn't find the orange ninja, but I nearly fell out of the trees when I spotted Sasuke walking home by himself.

As soon as he heard the rustle from my slip, his footsteps stopped and he froze. I caught my balance and covered my mouth. Why did he have to be so observant?

Sasuke's dark eyes scanned the area in front of him, but he luckily didn't look up. After about a minute, I heard his voice in what seemed like a lifetime. "Who's there? Show yourself."

I didn't move a muscle and I tried to slow my breathing. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but after a long period of time, he eventually continued down the road until he was out of sight. Slowly, I slumped down on the branch I was standing on and closed my eyes for a moment before resuming looking for a certain shinobi.

When the sun sunk below the horizon and the bright moon rose high into the sky, I finally began to relax. Maybe this mission would be impossible and Tobi and I would be forced to return to the hideout without confronting the Jinchuriki. Speaking of Tobi, I didn't catch any sight of him since we arrived here. I wondered what he was doing…

While I was caught up in my thoughts, I picked up the sound of footsteps coming my way. Not wasting any time, I jumped down to the soft grass beneath me and peered around the fence.

It was Naruto.

My breathing stopped and I stumbled back. He looked exactly like I remembered. His spiky blonde hair and his bright blue eyes still enchanted me… This was what true love really felt like. The more I paid attention to my surroundings, the more I recognized them. This was the path Naruto usually took to get home after eating at Ichiraku Ramen in the evening. I had to warn him!

When he was ten feet away from me, I built up the courage to speak. "Naruto," I softly said. I barely made any noise, and a small part of me hoped my voice got lost in the wind.

Nonetheless, Naruto whipped around, "Huh? Who was that? Savanna, is that you? Answer me!" His voice sounded strained and frantic.

Just when I was about to step out in front of him, I hesitated. How could I let him see me in my Akatsuki cloak? There was no telling what could happen… He would surely be furious with me.

To my great surprise, Naruto lowered himself to his knees and put his head in his hands. "Savanna," he murmured. "I swear I heard her voice…"

Those words completely broke my heart. I couldn't bear to see him hurt like that anymore. Making up my mind, I stepped out on the path in front of him. A soft breeze rustled my cloak, almost as if it was trying to remind me that I was a traitor. Naruto didn't lift his head from his hands, so I had no choice but to speak again.

I took a deep breath. "Naruto… It _is _me."

As soon as I said his name, he head snapped up and his eyes widened. When my eyes met his, time seemed to freeze. "Is it you...?" he trailed off. "Is it really you?"

I responded with a sad smile. I expected Naruto to be mad with me, so I wasn't surprised when he jumped up and advance toward me.

He completely caught me off guard when his arms encircled my body.

I attempted to shrug away, but Naruto's grip was like bars of steel. Soon, however, I gave into my feelings of love and leaned into him heavily, breathing in his scent.

"Savanna," Naruto breathed. "I missed you so much. You have no idea… The torment I went through…"

He stole the words right out of my mouth. When I lifted my head from his chest, he lowered his gaze to my body and frowned slightly.

"Is that… an Akastuki cloak?" he asked hesitantly.

If this wasn't so serious of a moment right then, I would have rolled my eyes. How could he not notice that until now?

"Yes," I sadly confirmed.

"But, why? Why did you join? You had no reason to!"

Yeah… Just as I thought. I could predict Naruto would become angry with me. "I was forced to," I explained. "If I disobeyed, the leader would destroy this entire village… I know you might not forgive me, but-"

Naruto cut me off my pressing his lips into mine. I was so surprised that I couldn't react for a second, but after a moment, I responded passionately. Just kissing Naruto brought back all those memories of spending time with him. My heart ached tremendously… I wanted to lie with him forever, but I reminded myself of the purpose I was searching for him.

Reluctantly, I broke the kiss. "Even though I'm a part of the Akatsuki," I said, "I'm not your enemy. I'll always love you, Naruto, no matter what. That's why I'm here… To warn you."

"To… Warn me?"

"Yes. Right now, my mission is to capture the Nine Tails Jinchuriki." Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "I can't believe you never told me… Why didn't you? It would have saved me a lot of trouble."

Naruto sighed. "Well… I didn't think it was that important. And I didn't want you to hate me."

I shook my head. "Naruto, I would never hate you just because you have a tailed beast sealed inside of you. You need to tell me these things… Everything about you is important to me." I lifted my hand and rested it on his warm cheek.

"Okay," said Naruto. "I'm so sorry."

"You can't feel sorry. Not when the Akatsuki is tracking you down… This is the very purpose I sought you out."

To my surprise, Naruto chuckled. "I've been their object of attention for so long. Do they really think they can get me? Ha! I'd like to see them try"

"Shhh," I said. "I can't be seen." As I glanced from side to side, I luckily found no trace of anyone. "And don't get cocky. I'm afraid you'll get captured, and…" I couldn't even bear to think what would happen next.

Naruto pulled me a little closer. "Don't worry," he reassured me. "That won't happen in a million years."

I really hoped he was correct. As I gazed at his features, I realized that I couldn't stay with him for much longer. Despair filled me, but I tried to ignore it and protect what was dearest to me: Naruto.

I sighed. "I need to go. I have to report back to the leader of the Akatsuki about my mission. I'll just tell him I never found you."

Naruto frowned. "No. You don't have to do that, Savanna! We can take him on together! You don't have to leave me!" With every word, his voice increased in volume.

I shushed him again. "Yes, I do. This is to protect you, Naruto. I promise… I promise we'll see each other soon." Toward the end of the sentence, my voice quavered.

The scowl on Naruto's face merged into a pained one. "But, you can't leave me… Not again…"

It broke me to hear him like this. In fact, I almost complied with his plea and stayed with him. Only the thought that his life would be in peril if I remained here kept me steadfast in my decision.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "Like I said, I promise that we'll see each other soon." My eyes stung, but I fought against the tears. They would only make things worse for Naruto.

Naruto seemed at loss for words, but his expression didn't change. Before I would change my mind and stay with him, I softly kissed Naruto on the cheek and zipped off into the trees, making sure not to glance at his face.


	14. Chapter 14- Breaking Thin Ice

**Chapter 14**

Surprisingly, it didn't take me long to find Tobi. When I reached the entrance of the village, he was sitting on top of the large, green gate.

"Tobi," I softly called. As soon as he heard my voice, he jumped down, sprinted over to me, and squeezed me to death in one of his hugs.

Carefully, I wriggled out of his grasp. "You shouldn't have been up there," I remarked. "You were in plain sight!"

"Heh," said Tobi. "They saw me before I went up there! When I was trailing you, a bunch of them swooped down and tried to kill me! But, don't worry… I got away!

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something seemed fishy about Tobi's tale. That would explain why I couldn't find him when I ran into Sasuke and Naruto, but I didn't detect any sounds of a scuffle… I guess he somehow led them away from me, right? I quickly pushed the thought to the very back of my mind.

As we made our way back to the hideout, I tried to act like I didn't find Naruto. I kept all of my emotions off my face, trying to make it seem like I searched all day without any success.

"So… Did you find Naruto?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Nope!" said Tobi. "Did you?"

"No. He could have been inside the village, but I could only linger in the border to prevent being seen."

"Hmm…" Tobi seemed to ponder over my statement for a few seconds. "You said you loved him, right? How do I know if you're telling the truth, huh?"

His words sent a jolt of shock through me, but I tried not to let it show. Instead, I chuckled. "Tobi," I said, "I'm a part of the Akatsuki, now. I'm on a mission to capture Naruto. If I saw him, I would have captured him."

Again, Tobi stayed silent for more than usual. When he spoke again, I couldn't keep the surprise off of my face.

Because, well… The timbre of his voice seemed to drop at least two octaves.

It was no longer the high, squeaky voice I was so accustomed to hearing. Now, Tobi's voice was low and menacing. It sent shivers down my spine, and I nearly froze me in place.

"If you're lying, you'll regret it," he said in his chilling, new voice.

Who was this frightening person? Obviously, he wasn't just "Tobi". "Who are you...?" I breathed. I mentally slapped myself for ever trusting an Akatsuki member.

"That's none of your concern. However, I know exactly who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you are keeping something from me, there will be dire consequences."

Everything in my nature told me to drop down on my knees and confide the entire truth to him, but that would endanger Naruto, so I kept up my act. "Tobi," I said. "I'm telling you the truth. I tell you everything. You're my best friend, right?"

Tobi paid no attention to my question and stopped in his tracks. "You will forget what happened just now. Agreed?"

I also stopped and eyed him warily. "Of course…"

"Yay!" Tobi's voice reverted back to "normal", but I still felt really uneasy about who he really was. Nonetheless, I followed his orders and acted like nothing happened to ruin our so-called friendship.

When we returned to the Akatsuki hideout, I wondered how Pain would take the news of our mission being a failure. Luckily, Tobi seemed to read my mind.

"Don't worry, Savanna," he said. "I'll tell Leader Pain about the mission! We'll just keep on spying on Naruto and ambush him when the time is right!"

"Got it," I replied. Gah! What was I going to do?!

As Tobi tore off into the labyrinth, I wandered around the vicinity, contemplating about my future actions. Once we returned to the Leaf Village to ambush Naruto, I could simply do what I did this time (if nobody found Naruto first): Pretend like I didn't find him. However, that would be too risky, so I started mentally preparing myself for what I had to do: Betray the Akatsuki members when they discovered Naruto.

Of course, that would result in combat, but I was an exceptionally strong ninja. I _was_ accepted as an Akatsuki member, after all. I wondered how many of them I could take down before I fell...

Absentmindedly, I glanced up and found myself in front of Sasori's bedroom. I was curious as to where Deidara was (so I could avoid him), so I knocked softly on the door.

"Come in," Sasori called.

Slowly creaked open the door and leaned inside. Sasori sat on the bed, reading a book. His brown eyes regarded me calmly.

"Oh… So, you're back from your mission," he observed.

I nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Unfortunately, it was a failure. We'll leave again and attempt to capture the Nine Tails Jinchuriki once more, though."

"I see." His tone didn't change; it rarely did.

"Do you know where Deidara is?" I inquired.

"I don't know why anyone would want to know where he is," said Sasori, "but I think he's in Leader Pain's office. He's been there recently lately."

"Okay. Thanks," I said. When I closed his door, something about what Sasori said irked me. My initial intention was to stay away from Deidara, but now I was curious about the reason he was spending so much time with Pain. Pain usually didn't call people into his office unless it was completely necessary.

Quickly, I weaved my way through the hallways until I spotted Pain's office door about ten feet away. Very quietly, so as not to attract any attention, I tip-toed in front of the door and leaned my ear against it. A few seconds later, I picked up voices on the other side of the door. They were muffled, but I recognized them as Deidara's and Pain's. So, Sasori was correct after all…

"Are you positive?" asked Pain.

"I'm not stupid," said Deidara. "Of course I'm positive. We'd better speak quickly, because she'll probably be back from her mission soon. Hm."

He words shocked me. They were talking about me? What did they find out?

"You need to concentrate more," Pain advised. "We need her. Obviously, she's beginning to see reason."

"You don't think I'm trying, un? That Jutsu uses up fifty percent of my chakra when It's activated. It seems to work when I'm around her, but I can't use it when I fight or train… I'll drain all of my chakra, yeah."

"I'm fully aware," Pain remarked. "However, you are the only shinobi who possesses a Jutsu to make other people fall in love with you. You need to concentrate harder; if her mind is completely clear, she won't cooperate with us."

Deidara mumbled some things I couldn't pick up. Finally, he sighed. "Sure thing, Leader Pain."

I couldn't risk remaining here any longer. As quietly as I could, I sprinted to the farthest room on the edge of the hideout, sat on a couch, and put my head in my hands.

I was right. I was right. I was right! I really didn't love Deidara… I was his stupid "Jutsu" that was playing with my feelings. Oh, if I could find a way to be around him without worshipping him, I would totally maim him…

Slowly, I raised my head and exhaled through my nose. Deidara said he was going to try harder to make me love him, right? I hoped I would be able to stay sane.

I turned my head and nearly jumped out of my skin when I took in the sight of Itachi sitting on the adjacent chair. I knew I wasn't a sensory shinobi, but the fact that I didn't notice him there before was kind of sad. He was just sitting there, which was a little odd.

"Itachi, what are you doing…?" I asked tentatively.

His Sharingan eyes focused on me. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I'm merely thinking."

How was I going to explain my beeline into the room? After a few moments of thought, I made up my mind and decided that I wouldn't tell any more lies. The truth certainly wouldn't help me, but Tobi already knew everything. I might as well let everyone in on the secret.

"Well, I'm hiding from Deidara," I confessed.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "…Hmm?"

"I know everything about what he's doing to me," I confessed. When I said this, I saw surprise flash across Itachi's features. However, he stayed silent.

"When Pain finds out that know, he'll probably try to destroy the Leaf Village," I continued, "but I'll stand and fight for everyone living there. Naruto, Ino, Sasuke…"

"Sasuke?"

"Yes. I will." I really hoped a fight wouldn't break out right here in this room because of my honesty.

To my great surprise, the corners of Itachi's mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Good luck," he said. Before I could part my lips and utter a baffled response, I blinked and the spot where he formally sat was empty.

That was certainly strange… First, Itachi said good luck, and then he vanished. An Akatsuki member wouldn't do that (well… except for the vanishing part)! Itachi was probably using Genjutsu for some reason, but if he wasn't, I hoped I wasn't hallucinating because of my stress level lately.

For the next hour or so, I lingered in the room, mentally preparing me for what was eventually inevitable, I thought nobody would even think of coming to this isolated room, so I was surprised when I heard footsteps approaching. It was just one person after the other, wasn't it?

I nearly jumped up when Deidara walked into the room. How did he find me here? Oh, no… I had to get out of…

When Deidara met my gaze, is blue eye seemed to light up. "Savanna," he breathed. "You're back from your mission, un. I'm so glad you're safe."

This time, I missed Deidara so much that there almost seemed to be a physical force pulling me towards him. Before I knew it, I laid in his arms on the couch, breathing in his scent.

I stroked his soft blonde hair. "I missed you so much," I gushed. "You have no idea." I closed my eyes and sighed contently. How could I have ever doubted love this strong?

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," said Deidara. "But, I had no idea whether you were alive or dead. Hm."

Something about the way he casually referred to me as possibly dead bugged me. Those feelings of irritation are what allowed me to think rationally, even if it was only for a split second. Before my affinity for him completely overpowered my mind again, I zipped off of him and pinned myself to the nearest wall. Nearly shaking with the effort, I tried to fight against those feelings while he stood up with a baffled expression on his face.

"Savanna," Deidara asked, "what's wrong, hmm? Tell me."

I concentrated my thoughts on my love for Naruto and how I needed to protect him from the person in front of me. Surprisingly, when about half a minute passed, I was no longer under control of his ridiculous Jutsu. Yes! Now, I just couldn't lose focus…

"You," I spit out through gritted teeth. "You are my problem."

Deidara expression grew even more incredulous. "How, un? Are you okay?"

"Of course I am! It's you, Deidara! Just stop manipulating me like I'm your freaking puppet!"

The look in Deidara's eye told me everything; he knew that I was aware of what was happening to me. "You are making a big mistake," he said. His voice suddenly sounded very threatening. His visible, piercing blue eye didn't look so attractive anymore.

"No," I retorted. "You are." Before he could say anything else, I shoved past him and strode down the hallway.

Oh, I really did it. I would be in so much trouble when the news reached Pain. At the time, however, I didn't really care. My blood boiled because of Deidara, and all I could think about was protecting Naruto from the Akatsuki, Even when I tired-looking Hidan shuffled into the hallway and tried to seduce me when he noticed my presence, I promptly ignored him instead of blushing like I normally did. As a walked away, I could faintly hear him say, "Geez. Women are so complicated…"

I didn't even know where I was going. I wasn't going to stay in this prison hole (although it was very immaculate), so I kept on walking past the entrance and into the forest. I kept on stomping my way through until my temper started to diffuse. At that point, I was strolling through the trees at a very leisurely pace. Quickly, I calculated how long I had walked. Two, maybe three hours? I still had no intension of returning the Akatsuki hideout anytime soon, so I slowly lowered myself down a tree trunk and pondered about the possibilities I could take. Soon, my eyelids felt heavy, so I succumbed to the blackness that started enveloping me and fell asleep.

My eyes snapped open when I picked up the sound of kunai hurtling past my ears. When I attempted to get up, however, something snagged at my robe, and I tumbled to the ground again. I turned my head to the left and saw a multiple kunai pinning me to the tree.

Before I could do anything else, three figures zipped into my line of sight in front of me. They looked slightly familiar, but I couldn't… quite… oh!

"Lee? Neji? Tenten?" I gasped.

They all stood in a defensive stance, their brows furrowed as they regarded me with seemingly no feelings at all. Neji had his Byakugan activated, and his milky eyes seemed to pierce through my soul. Tenten held a chain with a spiked ball attached to the end, and Lee held the back of his hands out to me in his stance. My heart lurched with sadness as I realized their intensions.

"Do not move," said Lee.

"You won't escape," continued Neji.

"You will pay for what you've done," growled Tenten.

What did I do? Join the Akatsuki? I thought that was pretty bad, but not bad enough to cause Team Guy to want revenge.

When I spoke, my voice came out as a pained whisper. A flicker of surprise flashed across Lee's face. "I'm so sorry," I said. "I really am… I had to leave. I had to join the Akatsuki… They forced me…"

They paused for a second, but then Tenten stepped forward. Her eyes still glinted in anger. "That's not entirely why we came here," she said. "Your 'leader', Pain, showed up in the village and demolished it! If it wasn't for Naruto, we would have all been dead!"

My eyes widened in shock, and I almost heaved. Pain really followed through. I wasn't thinking rationally when I defied Deidara… I had totally forgotten about Pain's threat to destroy the Leaf Village. And… Naruto.

Naruto.

'If it wasn't for Naruto'…? That must have meant that he defeated Pain. Feelings of relief swept over me, but it was only for a brief amount of time. If Naruto fought Pain, there was no doubt that he got injured. Worry quickly replaced my relief.

I jolted forward, ripping my cloak in the process. Lee, Neji, and Tenten closed in around me, daring me to make another move.

"No! Please don't do anything… Please listen to me. I'm not a threat. I'm not your enemy!"

"Yeah, right," said Tenten. "You joined the Akatsuki! Like we're going to believe you."

"I was forced to, remember? I just want to know if Naruto is safe… I need to know if he's okay. Please…"

Neji and I locked eyes for about half a minute, his gaze never drifting away from mine. Finally, he relaxed and inactivated his Byakugan. "It's alright," he stated. "Savanna is telling the truth."

Tenten still didn't look like she trusted me any more than she did when we first encountered; she still gave me an icy glare. Nonetheless, the spiked ball and chain disappeared in a puff of smoke from her hands.

"Naruto is alright," said Neji. "Actually, he's more than alright."

I sagged. "Thank goodness…"

Neji hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "Savanna, I'm afraid we're still required to capture you and bring you with us to the Leaf Village for interrogation. It's our mission, and you should know everything about the Akatsuki."

"Of course," I complied. "I'll go willingly with you three."

Neji approached me and pulled the kunai out of the tree trunk. "Come on, and don't try anything."

I cautiously stood up and drifted behind them as they led the way to the Leaf Village. As I was walking, I noticed Lee glancing behind him at me every so often. After the fourth peek, he finally slowed down and matched his pace with mine.

"Savanna," he said. "Is that really true? Were you really forced to join the Akatsuki?"

Neji and Tenten up ahead showed no physical reaction to Lee's question, but I knew they were listening. "Yes, Lee," I replied. "It was one particular member who captured me and made me join. His name is Deidara."

If at all possible, Lee's eye widened (or maybe it was just my imagination). "We stood against him in battle once! He was a formidable opponent."

I slowly nodded. "I'm not going to underestimate him again."


	15. Chapter 15- Disobeying More Rules

**Hey, guys! I am ****_so_**** sorry I haven't updated in such a long time... I have so much work, and I had a bad case of writer's block. It's always hard to write a story when it's nearing the climax...However, it's gone now. Yayy. I'll try to update as quickly as I can.**

**I'd like to give a really big thank-you to Sharingan Prodigy, who supports my story. She's also working on a Naruto fanfic, called The Byakugan Wielder and his Love. Check it out! :)**

Yes, I know that Tobi really isn't Madara Uchiha. But to keep things simple, he's not going to reveal that he really isn't Madara. Besides, the Akatsuki members all think he's Madara, anyway.

Enjoy! :D

* * *

****

Chapter 15

Anxiety began to take over me as the Leaf Village's gate came into sight. Faintly, I remembered approaching the very same gate what seemed a lifetime ago. But the gate was all that was familiar; beyond the gate, everything was in ruins.

Jagging parts of the earth were heaved upward, as if there was a recent, massive earthquake. Small particles of debris hung in the air, almost like one would expect to see after a volcano eruption. The framework of a few wooden buildings stood upright, but other than that, no one could have thought that there was previously a civilization here. Leaf shinobi were scattered throughout the former village, attending the wounded. When Lee, Neji, Tenten, and I entered the village, however, all the heads snapped up and swiveled towards us.

It was probably because of the Akatsuki cloak I was wearing. The trio in front led me to a tent near the center of the destruction. The shinobi's eyes never ceased to leave me as I quietly followed behind. I almost felt relieved when Neji opened the flap of the tent and I entered.

My heart leaped when I spotted Naruto's spiky blonde hair; he had his back to me, and he was leaning over a desk, conversing with Ino's father, Inoichi. My surprise increased when I took in the sight of Sasuke situated on the right side of the tent, his arms folded. As soon as he saw me enter, his onyx eyes narrowed slightly. Other than that, he showed no flicker of emotion.

"Tch," he said. "Savanna… So, you've returned."

As I expected, Naruto whirled around and a smile appeared on his face. "Savanna!" he exclaimed. "You came back…"

Ignoring everyone else in the tent, Naruto closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my body, comforting me in his warm embrace. I felt like I could melt into him right then and there… Every time I touched him, I felt like an empty part of my heart was being filled.

Inoichi cleared his throat, his countenance blank. "Naruto, she's not safe. We need to interrogate her… She's a member of the Akatsuki."

As quickly as Naruto whirled around to hug me, he spun around and slammed his palms on the table. It creaked and rocked as it protested against the movement, and Inoichi jolted back in surprise. "Do you really think Savanna is evil?" Naruto asked in a protective tone. "She wouldn't hurt a fly! (Okay… That part wasn't true, but I had a strong feeling that nothing good would result if I mentioned that.) I know her to most out of any of you here, and I know that she was forced to join the Akatsuki! So, there."

Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head, and Neji exhibited a similar reaction. Tenten and Lee watched Naruto's outburst intently. "It's true," I confirmed.

Inoichi just blinked for a moment, looking slightly dazed. After a few seconds, he recovered and sat uprightly again. "…I'm sorry, Naruto, but I am not permitted to take your word for it. I'm afraid that I'll still have to interrogate her."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something else, but I walked up to him and rested my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," I reassured him. "He'll know everything once he reaches inside my mind."

Without waiting for Naruto's consent, Inoichi pulled up another wooden chair and gestured towards it. "Sit."

I quietly obeyed, and one of Naruto's eyebrows twitched. Inoichi then leaned towards me and rested his hand on my forehead. Almost immediately, memory after memory popped up inside of my head as he sifted through them. He went through them relatively quickly, but he lingered on a few- Deidara forcing me to go with him to the Akatsuki hideout, Pain threatening to destroy the Lead Village if I disobeyed him, all those moments Deidara controlled me with his love Jutsu, and for some reason, Tobi. All of these flashed before my eyes within a split second. When Inoichi took his hand away from my forehead, he sighed.

"You were right, Naruto," he said. "She has not changed since she left the village."

On the contrary, I thought I changed a _lot_ in the past year I spent with the Akatsuki. By training with the members, I became immensely stronger, and I was now able to react more quickly to dangers heading in my direction. But my feelings? Omitting the fact the Deidara manipulated them, I'd always felt the same way about Naruto… I loved him. My feelings didn't change.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Duh. Told you so."

"So, what happens now?" asked Lee.

I pondered over that for a moment. Finally, I sighed. "The Akatsuki probably know that I left by now, so they'll come searching for me. They might already be looking. And the first place they would look is… here."

Silence filled the room, but the fear shown on everyone's faces was eminent. After a few minutes, Naruto spoke.

"We have to tell Granny Tsunade! We have to-"

"No," I interrupted him. I met his cerulean eyes without flinching. "I have to do this alone. I brought this upon the Leaf by coming here, and I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."

A pained expression fell across Naruto's face. "That's complete bullshit!"

"No!" I repeated my response more loudly this time. "I'm not changing my mind."

For once, Naruto didn't keep on arguing. However, the pain in his countenance didn't leave. Inoichi remained at the desk and fiddled with stacks of paperwork as he promptly ignored us. Eventually, Team Guy left the tent and didn't return. Sasuke sat down in a chair at the right side of the tent, his arms still folded. Time to time, his dark eyes would flick up and meet mine, his emotions unreadable. Naruto paced back and forth around the tent, his eyebrows furrowed. I stood in the exact same spot I was in before, waiting for my impending doom and thinking. After what seemed like an eternity, a girl I remembered as Sakura came bursting into the tent, startling everyone.

"There's an Akatsuki member at the gate! He's asking for a girl named Savanna! Lady Tsunade has ordered everyone to stay on their guard since we can't really go into lockdown." Her light green eyes shifted to my cloak, and she did a double take. "What the heck? Another Akatsuki member in captivity…?" Sakura showed no signs of recognition as she observed my face. "She looks kind of familiar…"

Well, now was the time to face my fate. I paid no attention to the pink-haired girl. Instead, I contemplated how I would react to the Akatsuki member.

"She _should_ look familiar," muttered Sasuke. At this Sakura blushed a little. So, she still had a thing for Sasuke? Huh…

"Hn. Her name is Savanna," continued Sasuke. "Or, can you not remember her? I'm not surprised. (Since when was he ever surprised?) Whatever…"

Sakura's face remained blank for a few seconds, but then she gasped. "Oh! Savanna… I see. It's you. For some reason, an Akatsuki member wants you at the gate." Her eyes brushed over Sasuke, and her blush grew. "I don't have time for this. I have to alert everyone!" She disappeared from the tent in an instant.

"I have to go," I whispered. The back of my throat tickled as if I was about to cry. Just the thought that this was probably my last time seeing Naruto caused that reaction. For some reason, I had a feeling that I was heading towards a horrible future. Before any tears could overflow from my eyelids, I bolted out into the cool, outdoor air.

I didn't get very far, however. A warm hand closed around my wrist, preventing me from taking another step forward. When I looked behind me, the fingers were Naruto's. Of course.

"Naruto, let go of me," I tried to say in my calmest voice. "I have to go."

Naruto didn't reply, but his fingers stayed closed around my wrist. His blue eyes looked wide and distraught. Sighing, I turned around fully, wrapped my arms around his neck, and molded my lips to his.

Naruto responded immediately and almost desperately. His arms snaked around my waist while I tangled my fingers in his soft, blonde hair. All the pent-up love (the _real_ love- not the fake feelings Deidara conjured) that was inside of me for so long was released in this passionate kiss. I held nothing back, and neither did he. If everyone wasn't in so much danger at the moment, we could have gone on like this forever. That was what true love was- a continuum of never-ending passion. That was the problem with Deidara's love Jutsu… It couldn't last forever. Eventually, he would run out of chakra. Deidara always had to leave me at some point to recover from his chakra loss.

I pulled away from him a few moments later. "Naruto," I said, "you have to listen to me. By coming here, I've disobeyed my former Leader's order. He has already destroyed this village, and the other Akatsuki members will want me to return to them."

"No," Naruto hurriedly said. "You won't… Not again. I won't let you!"

"And I won't," I said. "I'm sick and tired of being a part of that group, so I'm going to refuse. But then, they'll probably try to force me to go with them. When this happens, I want you to stay out of it, Naruto."

He sadly regarded me for a few seconds. "You know I can't do that."

If there was one thing I could count on, it was Naruto being stubborn. I knew it was no use arguing with him, so I sighed. "Fine… But if it comes to a fight, let me fight alone. Please…"

His jutted his lower lip out a little. "…Maybe."

Well, that was the best answer I was going to get. Slowly, I turned around and made my way to the entrance of the village, Naruto trailing behind me.

* * *

When we reached the familiar gate, no signs of an Akatsuki member were to be found. Huh… That was weird. Why would Sakura lie about that? She certainly didn't look like she was lying. And why would she have a reason to…?

"…Hello?" I hesitantly asked. Could this be a trap? If it was, then-… Oh. Ohh.

Deidara emerged from the shadow of the trees.

Oh my god.

Surprise hit me like a brick wall- I was completely caught off guard. He could have launched an attack on me right then and there, and I wouldn't have been able to react quickly enough in order to defend myself. Honestly, I was expecting anyone other than Deidara. Before I left the hideout in a fit of rage, he _was_ the Akatsuki member I spent the most amount of time with, but he was also the one I trusted the least. So, why did _he_ come to retrieve me? I mentally prepared myself to face every other member except for him- I even prepared myself to face _Hidan_, for Pete's sake.

My baffled emotions quickly turned to those of intense anger as I drank in Deidara's features with my eyes. I felt no feelings of affection towards him; I guessed that he wanted himself to be in peak condition instead of having his chakra level half-drained. In place of having his usual smirk on, Deidara's lips were slightly turned down at the corners in a small frown. When a breeze lifted his bangs from his face, I quickly noted that his scope no longer covered his left eye. Why was that?

Deidara's pale blue eyes warily watched Naruto for some reason, and Naruto gasped. "You!" Naruto exclaimed, jabbing his pointer finger at Deidara.

They had met before? Another wave of shock rolled over me as Deidara spoke. "We meet again, Nine Tails Jinchuriki," he said. "Hm."

"Naruto, how do you know Deidara?" I questioned.

"We fought once, when he… _killed _Gaara," Naruto answered through clenched teeth.

I had a feeling that I was eventually going to spontaneously combust from all the surprise that kept on slamming into me. My anger towards Deidara increased dramatically, and I fought the urge to punch him. "You killed Gaara?!" I repeated.

Deidara averted his blank gaze to me. "It was my mission, un."

I really didn't care that it was his stupid mission. So, he was the Akatsuki member that killed Gaara… If I had known that earlier, I wouldn't have let myself be near him. How could I have let him control me for so long? It was insulting to my ego! "_What_ do you _want_?" I nearly hissed.

Deidara's facial expression didn't change. "The new leader of the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha, has ordered that you return to the hideout. Hmm."

"Wait- What? Madara? Uchiha? I thought he was dead!"

Deidara pursed his lips. "Yes… Tobi is actually Madara Uchiha."

Nothing could surprise me after today. Well, that explained Tobi's peculiar voice and personality change after my previous mission. I had no idea that he was actually a powerful person…

Naruto stiffened beside me when he heard Deidara's response. Slowly, I unzipped my Akatsuki cloak, letting it slip off of my shoulders and fall to the ground. "I'm not obliged to follow his orders," I said, "because I am no longer a part of the Akatsuki."

Naruto directed a taunting smirk at Deidara, and Deidara narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

In my next response, I clipped my words. "I. Said. I. Quit."

Deidara's frown grew. "You _will_ return to the hideout, Savanna, or I'll make you. Hm!"

"Like hell, she will," growled Naruto. I silenced him by giving him a small glare. I didn't want Deidara's temper to rise, but judging by the look on his face, it was already too late.

"I'm sorry, Deidara," I said. "I'm sick and tired of being a part of your organization. I am going to remain here and protect Naruto, so you can't get a hold of the Nine Tails."

"You will regret that decision, un," hissed Deidara. Almost too quickly for me to react, his hands flashed to the two pouches on either sides of his waist and zipped back out again, hurtling small clay bombs at Naruto and me.

"Katsu!"


	16. Chapter 16- Battle

**Hey, guys... I'm so glad that I could update within a week this time. Enjoy! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Grabbing Naruto's wrist, I jumped and yanked him with me as the explosion commenced. To my surprise, subsequent explosions followed. Still holding on to Naruto's wrist, I sprinted away from them, towards the huge crater where Naruto fought my former "leader". The clay bombs finally stopped detonating when we reached the center of the pit. Breathing heavily, I tried to catch my breath.

"Are… Are you okay?" I asked Naruto.

"Of course," he answered. "I'm gonna pound that sucker so hard that-"

"No! Remember what I said? This is a fight between Deidara and me. I still have some unfinished business with him."

"Oh, yeah… But I'm still not leaving!"

I expected that response. "That's fine, but just stand to the side…"

As I said those last words, Deidara appeared at the top of the crater, a furious expression on his face. "Are you sure you want to do this, hmm? There's no going back!"

I situated myself into a fighting stance, a scowl forming on my countenance. "I'm positive."

Before Deidara could keep himself out of my fighting range and incessantly bombard me with his creations, I zipped over to him and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. I thought this was his weakness, but my judgment was proved wrong when my blows were constantly blocked by his forearms. Why did Akatsuki members have to be so skilled?

After some time, I finally landed a kick to his stomach and sent him sprawling across the now-rocky terrain. Naruto whooped, and I felt the urge to roll my eyes. He seriously needed to stop making unnecessary sounds or comments…

Cursing, Deidara picked himself off of the ground and brushed away the stray strands of blonde hair covering his face. Naruto moved from his stationary post and tried to intervene, but I shoved him away perhaps a little too forcefully, making him stumble to the ground.

Quickly, I ran over to him and knelt down. "I'm sorry," I said, "but you seriously need to do what I tell you to do, Naruto! At least just this once. If you get hurt, I won't be able to forgive myself."

Naruto grunted and hoisted himself up on his elbows. "Hmph… Fine."

Meanwhile, Deidara used the extra time to create two clones of him. I jumped up and advanced toward him, but he started flinging clay bats and clay birds at me. I was well aware that it would be detrimental for me if any of them detonated on me, so I dodged them with extreme precision. Since there were two more Deidara's, massive amounts of bombs hurtled around me, and all of them exploded in a close proximity. I could feel little snips of pain as some of the closer explosions came into contact with my skin, but I tried to ignore them.

Trying to hoard off all of the bombs, I muttered, "Wind Scythe Jutsu." Blades of wind cut through the surrounding area, and as a result, some of the clay birds and some of the clay bats exploded early. One even exploded right next to a Deidara clone when a blade of wind sliced through it, causing the clone to disappear in a puff of smoke. At this point, I was feeling pretty good about myself, so I smirked. Sure, I could feel my chakra slowly depleting, but I had plenty of it left. Besides, I could also feel the outcome of the battle leaning in my favor. One clone down, one to go. And then, I could face down the real Deidara…

I was so caught up in my positive thoughts that my movements became jerky and I felt myself taking longer to respond to the bombs than usual. Focusing on the clay figures in front of me, I couldn't block the bomb that slammed into my side.

When it detonated, I faceplanted on the jagged rocks on the ground, scraping my face in the process. I barely noticed that, however, because of the searing, excruciating pain emanating from my side. I tried to push myself into a sitting position, but my muscles shook and quickly gave out, making me slump back to the ground. Slowly, I lifted my hand and brought it to my injured side. When I pulled it back and held it in front of my face, the sight made my stomach lurch; thick, red blood completely covered my hand. For just one second, my vision became a little hazy around the edges. Diverting my eyes from the horrible sight, I lifted them to one not much better at all. Deidara, with a look of pure smugness in his expression, released his remaining clone and started walking to where I was sprawled.

Well, this was it. So, Deidara would be the one to take my life. At least my five chakra natures would die along with me… The Akatsuki wouldn't be able to use me anymore. The Akatsuki would lose some power, even if it was just a little. And I would be free… I wouldn't be forced to obey any orders or commands.

Finally, Deidara stood over me. My breathing caught because of the intense pain from the explosion. At this point, it couldn't hurt to plead, right? "Deidara…" I murmured. I barely made any sound; I almost mouthed his name. "Please… Stop…" I looked up at him sadly and ran those few words in my head. Wow… Those sounded really pathetic, but I was getting kind of desperate. It would have probably been better for the world (but not for the Akatsuki) if I had died, but I didn't want to die at all…

Deidara closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head slowly, his trademark smirk plastered on his face… Except this time, I detected some pain and hurt in the smirk. "Sorry, hmm. I realize now that there's no way to convince you to come back to us. I have no choice, un. If _we_ can't have you, then _nobody_ can."

I immediately noticed that Deidara used "we" instead of "I", more proof that he really didn't love me. He turned the palm of his right hand up, the mouth there already chewing detonating clay. Just when it spit out a clay snake and I started preparing myself for my impending doom, a loud growl ripped through the air.

Deidara's head snapped toward the noise, and I painfully rotated mine the same direction. Wait- was that thing- was he- was he Naruto?!

I could tell that he was, in fact, Naruto, but his features had gone through dramatic changes. Usually, his hair was spiky, but now it was a different kind of spiky. It almost seemed like static electricity was the thing holding his blonde strands up as straight as sticks. When he glared at Deidara and bared his teeth (since when did he have _fangs_?), I noticed that a pair of scarlet eyes with pupils shaped nearly like slits had replaced his normally aqua-colored eyes. He crouched down on all fours, similar to a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. Another growl pierced my ears.

As I regarded him while enduring the burning pain from my wound, a red, bubbly blanket of _something_ (was it chakra?) enveloped him from head to toe, growing fox-like ears and claws along with two tails. I immediately recognized this phenomenon as the Tailed Beast Cloak. I had heard of this, but I had never met a Jinchuriki before Naruto, so I kind of treated it as a myth. Was the Nine Tails taking over Naruto?

He really was the Nine Tails Jinchuriki! Of course I'd believed it before, but I never had really accepted it fully. Now, the sudden realization of what he was hit me, but my love for him didn't decrease. In fact, it grew because of my feelings of sympathy and pity, even as I was slowly dying. To be honest, Naruto looked completely and utterly terrifying, but Deidara kept his cool.

"Hmm… The Nine Tails has started to come out of its shell." As he spoke, the mouth from the hand molding the clay spit out the clay snake, which fell on top of me and started winding itself around me. I struggled as much as I could in my current condition, but it did no good; the snake tightened itself and crushed me, its body cutting itself into the bloody gash on my side. I let out a strangled scream, breathing heavily.

Naruto seemed at the point when no words could reach him because of his anger. "You," he spit out, nearly in a growl. His red eyes threw daggers at Deidara. "Don't you _dare_ hurt Savanna! I'll… I'LL KILL YOU!"

_No,_ I wanted to shout. _No, Naruto. You'll get hurt, too. You might even die!_ But the snake kept on tightening itself, and the pain was unbearable. I felt like the air was being squeezed out of my lungs. All that came out from my throat were groans, seeming to make Naruto's mood escalate with each one. I tried to suppress them, but my wound was so deep, and the snake was so strong. They produced so much pain…

Deidara remained unaffected by his surroundings. He slowly lifted his right hand again, already starting to form a hand sign. "Now," he proclaimed, "all that's left for you is to experience my art." His blue eyes widened, a maniacal grin forming on his lips. Oh, god. There was going to be another explosion, surely bigger this time. I couldn't take anything more…

Suddenly, Naruto, a blur of red, slammed into Deidara, as fast as the speed of light. Deidara flew twenty feet away from the power of Naruto's force and pummeled into the rocky earth. The clay snake loosened around me, and I gasped as I took in a gulp of air. For half a second, Naruto was right next to me, but one moment later he zipped over to the now-limp Deidara and raked his claws across his body with speed I previously thought wasn't possible. I could barely make out what was going on over there; the pain made it difficult to concentrate, they were twenty feet away, and my vision kept on getting blurrier by the second. Man, I hated not being able to do anything. I hated feeling so helpless!

Soon, in order to stay conscious, I focused on breathing in and out. I tried to ignore the small pool of my blood I was lying in, or Naruto's screams and growls. I had no idea what amount of time passed, but eventually, a shinobi with a sliver mask framing his face jumped in front of the raging Naruto and shot out pieces of wood from the palms of his hands. The wood quickly wrapped around Naruto's wrists, neck, and ankles, but he continued to flail his arms in Deidara's direction. I couldn't bring myself to lower my eyes to what would have probably been left of Deidara's body on the ground, so I kept them fixed on the writhing Naruto. I heard the shinobi who was subduing him grunt and say, "Naruto, stop! It's over… The Akatsuki member is dead!"

At this point, I was incapable of feeling any emotion; it was almost like I was numb. Deidara was… dead? Naruto killed him? Would I die, too?

When Naruto's reaction didn't change, another shinobi I recognized as Kakashi jumped in and slapped his palm to Naruto's forehead. Almost immediately, for some reason, the red chakra cloak blanketing Naruto diffused into the air, and all of his fox-like features reverted back to normal. Looking extremely exhausted, he collapsed into Kakashi.

Simultaneously, many of the Leaf villagers surrounded me and started speaking in hushed whispers. My eyelids drooped, but my hearing remained as clear as day. I caught some little clips of various conversations.

"Who is she? She looks familiar."

"Hey… Didn't she leave the village, or somethin'?"

"Don't go near her! She's an Akatsuki member!"

"Should she be healed?"

"She's an S-Rank criminal. She should be left here to die."

As I listened to them converse, I was aware of their close proximities and curious stares. However, at the moment, I didn't really mind; I was just glad that I wasn't blown up a second time. After a while, a familiar voice stood out over all of the others.

"Excuse me! Sorry… Don't mind me! Make way!"

Very painfully, I shifted my head a few degrees so my field of vision could be a little higher. Surprisingly, the person that shoved through the increasing crowd was none other than Sakura Haruno.

Sakura? Why was Sakura here? My surprise increased when she knelt down, her light green eyes focused on my wound, pulling out a cloth from a kit she was carrying. She had on a look of complete and utter focus on her face as she took out a bottle of some unknown liquid and dabbed it with a cloth multiple times. Quickly, Sakura pressed it to the bloody gash on my side. As the concoction from the bottle caused it to sting, I let out a faint cry. Showing no response, she repeated the gesture with other medicines from different bottles. I wanted to writhe in pain, but I knew that this was healing me. But why was Sakura helping me? Previously, I was nothing but a nuisance to her. And to top things off, I had joined the Akatsuki. There was no reason for her to help me, but I felt really grateful.

A little while later, Sakura took out some bandaging wrap, helped me sit up (I winced in the process), and wound it around my torso, obscuring my injury. However, the level of pain I was going through didn't decrease even a tiny bit. Now, I wanted to pass out- the pain would go away if I did, at least for a little while. When I tried to lift my arms, they would only go up a few inches; I had lost a large amount of blood, so my limbs felt like lead.

"Don't strain yourself," Sakura advised. "You're in critical condition."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one confused as to why Sakura was aiding me. One guy close to us gasped. "Why are you helping her?" he questioned. He made it sound like it was taboo or something…

"Sasuke told me everything," said Sakura. She didn't elaborate, and the guy looked confused, but that statement sufficed for me.

Her words filled me with joy, but I was growing weaker by the second. Darkness started clouding over my eyes, and I welcomed it fully. I wasn't sure what happened after that… I was only aware of the pain from my side slowly subsiding until it felt like a numb throb.


	17. Chapter 17- Light

**Hey, guys! I had SO much work to do, so I took a long time on this last chapter. I hope it was worth it, though. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

For who knows how long, I drifted throughout a seemingly endless void of darkness. I felt no feelings; there was neither pain, nor happiness… absolutely nothing. I was even barely conscious of that fact. Soon, I began to wonder if this was what death felt like.

After a while, something tugged at my soul- was it a feeling? Longing to experience something, I latched myself onto it. I needed something… anything. To my surprise, I found out that the thing tugging at me was none other than fear. When I realized what it was, I tried to let go of it, but the feeling somehow attached itself to me and started growing expeditiously. As it did, the shell of numbness encasing me dissipated, but the feeling of fear started taking over me completely. Too quickly, it overwhelmed me. But why was I terrified?

As the previous battle's events caught up to me, my eyelids snapped open, completely freeing myself from the pit of blackness. Almost immediately, I squinted as I took in the sight of a bright white light shining down on me from above. Was I… in a hospital? I confirmed my suspicions when I turned my head and surveyed my surroundings; white walls and empty beds stood around me, one of which I lay in. Nobody accompanied me in the room, but it was kind of peaceful. Instead of my former outfit, I was clothed in a light paper gown… Nothing more. I quickly discovered that I could move my limbs without feeling any discomfort, so I hesitantly reached down to my side. Huh… My wound was heavily bandaged, but I still couldn't feel any pain. I slowly sat up, testing to see if the injury would betray me. Still, no pain followed. When I was positive that I was capable of walking, I slipped off the bed and made my way over to the window on the far side of the room.

The window I peered out of showed a pretty good view of the place where I fought Deidara, but no signs of a battle were to be found. The Leaf village looked almost exactly as it did when I arrived here with Team 3, minus the floating debris in the air. When I looked closely, I could spot shinobi hard at work rebuilding homes. Those sights made me wonder- Exactly how long was I out? My side wouldn't have been feeling like this if I had only been out for one day…

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice a nurse entering the room. Quietly, she cleared her throat and I turned around. "How are you feeling, Miss…" She took a glance at the clipboard she was carrying. "…Raiyn? Better, I presume? I see that you're already able to walk."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you," I replied. My voice sounded a little raspy, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. "How long was I… unconscious?"

"It's been about three days."

"Three days? Then, how…?" I gestured to my bandaged torso.

The nurse laughed softly. "Lady Tsunade herself came in often for extensive periods of time in order to heal your wound. Consider yourself very lucky."

Ohh, I did. Extremely lucky. I guess Lady Tsunade was told the entire story about why I became an Akatsuki member. Why would she have healed me, otherwise? I felt like I owed a huge debt to her (and Sakura, for that matter) for greatly aiding me in my time of need. As soon as I got out of this hospital, I would thank her properly in person.

When I didn't respond to the nurse, she continued speaking to me. "Anyway, I'm afraid that you can't leave the hospital until we further inspect your injury. It's for the best. However, it shouldn't take more than a few more days if you're as well as you say."

I nodded. "Okay… Thanks."

Without me really paying attention, she gave me directions on what to do for my remaining days at the hospital. Most of it involved just getting plenty of food, water, and rest… It was basically common sense. When the nurse left the room, the only thing I could really do was ponder.

During my relaxation time in that small room, my thoughts continuously shifted to Naruto. I couldn't stop seeing him collapse after the fight with Deidara in my mind… It made me desire to see him, to make sure he was okay. Too soon, I reached the point where I thought about almost nothing but Naruto. I became crabby and impatient with the nurses, and I lay awake at night just wondering about him. The nurses seemed immensely relieved when they told me that I was free to leave the hospital.

Finally! My side was feeling great the whole time, but I guess it needed further examination. Whatever… Now, I would go thank Lady Tsunade for healing me. I certainly didn't take the fact that I was alive for granted. As I strolled down the path leading to the Hokage's building, I luckily ran into the person I was going to thank next- Sakura.

She almost kept on walking past me, but I reached out an arm. "Wait, Sakura."

Her light green eyes flashed up to meet mine. Apparently, she was in deep thought, so she didn't notice me making my way to the Hokage's building. "Oh… You were dismissed from the hospital," she observed.

"Yeah… My side is to the point where I don't need any more medical help, but it's only thanks to you, Sakura. I just wanted to say thank you… You saved my life, and without you, Deidara probably would have killed me."

A small smile made its way into Sakura's features. She looked much better that way, as opposed to her sneering and glaring at other people who tried to get close to Sasuke. "Don't mention it," she replied. "You were forced to join the Akatsuki, anyway." After a few seconds, her smile faded a bit. "And about how I was acting before you left the village… It wasn't fair to treat you that way. I should have known that you had no feelings for Sasuke, but I was kind of blinded by my own love…"

"It's okay. It really is," I insisted. "You saved me from death." As her smile grew, I paused for a second. "If you want to earn Sasuke's love, then you might want to, you know… just be yourself. Don't go chasing after him, because you'll seem like a creepy stalker. I'm sure that he would like you for the way you are."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah… I might have to work on that a little. Or a lot."

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I'll be there for you whenever you need help."

"Thanks." The look that she gave me then was filled with so much happiness that I wondered if this kinoichi really was Sakura. I didn't mind, though… I really liked this Sakura. My mood lifting immensely, I continued down the road and into the Hokage's building until I arrived at Lady Tsunade's door. Lifting an arm, I rapped on the door three times with my knuckle.

A muffled reply from Lady Tsunade could be heard a few seconds later. "You may enter."

Opening the door, I slowly walked into the room. As usual, Lady Tsunade was situated at her desk, working with a very large stack of paperwork. "How are you feeling?" she inquired.

"I'm well, thank you," I answered with a little bow. "One of the nurses informed me about your healing me… I just wanted to thank you for doing so. If you hadn't healed me, I probably would have been in the hospital for who knows how long."

Lady Tsunade nodded, acknowledging my gratitude. "Those Akatsuki members…" She trailed off, her eyebrows slightly furrowing. "They shall never be forgiven. If you ever, _ever_ run into a situation like that again, don't be afraid to contact us. You were gone for an entire year, which is much too long."

I sighed, guessing that Lady Tsunade didn't know the entirety of what happened. When I was affiliated with the Akatsuki, the problem was that I didn't _want _to return to the Leaf most of the time because of Deidara's mind-controlling Jutsu. Nonetheless, I nodded. "Of course, M'lady." A sudden wave of longing hit me right then. "By the way, do you know where Naruto is?"

"He had to attend the hospital like you, even though it was only for one day," Lady Tsunade explained. "His body heals extremely quickly because of the Nine Tails' chakra. However, in the events that followed, he was rarely seen outside of his home, and whenever he was, he seemed very distraught. That's all the information I can provide for you."

I nodded and bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." With that, I exited the room with the intention of going to Naruto's apartment.

Of course, I knew where it was by heart. My feet carried me along the gravel path faster than ever before, but I didn't feel exhausted in the least. Just the thought of seeing him after all that time filled me with joy…

After what seemed like ages, I finally reached the stairs leading to his home. The _ping_ of my shoes hitting against the metal subsequently followed when I jogged up the stairs and to his door. I really hoped he was home… With a slightly shaking hand, I rang the doorbell and waited.

Shifting my feet as some time passed, I reached out and rang the doorbell once more. When still no response followed, my mood sank. I was greatly looking forward to seeing him again…

As soon as I turned on my heels to wander somewhere unknown to me, the door slowly opened with a creek. Quickly, I swiveled around, taking in the sight of Naruto in a plain black T-shirt and pale blue shorts. I couldn't help it; a smile immediately broke across my face. He was home!

Naruto had his eyes downcast until he realized who was at the door. "What do you… Savanna!" As soon as he said my name, all the feelings of dismay left his expression, his eyes widening.

Without letting him say anything else, I literally threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his torso, earning a dignified "ooof" from said ninja. He laughed as his arms in turn wound around my waist. I had a brief moment of Déjà vu, remembering back to the time I ran into him on my mission as an Akatsuki member to retrieve the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Even though back then, I hadn't seen him for one year, right now, it felt strikingly similar to that time.

Letting go of me except for my wrist, Naruto pulled me into his home. "I had no idea whether you were going to survive or not," he told me. "Especially since I couldn't remember anything that happened after I saw that bastard Deidara blow you up."

"You let the Nine Tails take over you," I solemnly informed him. "You… killed Deidara."

"Ha!" Naruto barked out. "He deserved to die!...Ooohhh. So that's why I was in the hospital!"

I laughed at his sudden realization, cherishing the moment I had with Naruto. However, at the time, I didn't know that I would be spending more than a moment with him. He made me delicious ramen- It was the first real meal I had in a long time. I told him _everything_ that happened during my time as an Akatsuki member, even mentioning Deidara's love Jutsu. After I finished explaining to him and hearing his baffled reactions, Naruto turned on his TV for the remainder of the day with me gladly in his arms.

I didn't know if it was just me, but I didn't pay attention to anything that was happening on the television. I just focused my attention on the fact that he was pressing me against him and pecking me with his soft lips from time to time. If I had my way, I would have stayed wrapped in his arms forever.

"Savanna," he suddenly said after a rather powerful kiss.

A little dazed, I replied with, "Mmmm?"

"After losing you, I don't want to let you go ever again."

"You didn't let me go, Naruto. I was careless- It was an accident."

"But I left your house… I was there before you were kidnapped, and I left you all alone." I could detect pangs of guilt in his voice.

"Don't regret what you did," I said, burying my face in his neck. "Just look forward… Just look towards the future."

After a moment of silence, Naruto continued. "Just promise me something, Savanna."

"Yes?"

His arms slightly tightened around my body. "Just promise you won't leave my side ever again."

"Of course, Naruto."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the story... I hope everyone enjoyed it! I do plan on writing another story sometime, but I'm not entirely sure on which guy character to use. ;) **

**I also have another account that I'm sharing with my cousin, YouNeedFrescoToLive. We're collaborating on a Naruto story, so feel free to check it out. Thanks for reading! :D**


End file.
